Nesting success of New Zealand pigeons (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) in response to a rat (Rattus rattus) poisoning programme at Wenderholm Regional Park
Anticoagulant poisons were laid within native forest at Wenderholm Regional Park (near Auckland) to reduce rat numbers during the summer months. Snap trapping indices and an artificial nest experiment confirmed the high potential for rat interference in unpoisoned forest patches outside Wenderholm, compared with the near-zero potential at Wenderholm. Over two breeding seasons, 70 New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) nests were located and monitored.