The Great Kererū Countdown
Time to put your eyes to the skies for the national Great Kererū Count 2021, a chance for Aotearoa’s citizen scientists to get involved in conservation, which will run between 17 September and 26 September.
In the flash of a kākāriki kererū feather, it is once again time to dust off your binoculars, don your walking shoes and mask, grab your smartphone or camera, or simply wander out into your garden and observe, and take part in the Great Kererū Count 2021.
The Great Kererū Count, led by Urban Wildlife Trust and Kererū Discovery, is Aotearoa’s largest citizen science project that relies on nationwide community participation. Whether your sightings of kererū are successful or not, the Great Kererū Count want to hear from you as part of piecing together a nationwide picture of the abundance and distribution of this endemic pigeon.
This year will be The Final Countdown, the eighth and last year for citizen scientists to take part in the Count before the eight years of data is thoroughly analysed and used towards conservation efforts.
Tony Stoddard of Kererū Discovery, passionate kererū advocate and coordinator of the Count, encourages everyone to take part.
“Over the last seven years there has been a total of 52,034 observations, and 119,910 kererū counted. For this final count, it’s important that as many people as possible join in. It’s super easy, good for you, and good for kererū.”
Flocks of kererū once inhabited the skies, but through a combination of predation and decreased habitat, they are now mostly sighted alone or in small numbers perched in trees, power lines, or flying overhead. Despite their decline in abundance, they continue to be of great cultural and ecological significance.
The purpose of this project therefore extends beyond the conservation of this precious species, to the wider native ecosystem of Aotearoa. Kererū hold a mutually beneficial relationship with the largest of Aotearoa’s native rakau (trees), such as tawa, miro, taraire, and hinau. They are capable of dispersing the large seeds produced by these native rakau, making them instrumental in the preservation and restoration of native ngahere (forests).
Associate Professor Dr Stephen Hartley, Director of the Centre for Biodiversity & Restoration Ecology at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, emphasises that despite a 50% increase in sightings observed in the 2020 count versus the 2019 count, it is important not to become complacent.
This message is reinforced by a 2021 analysis report by scientists at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research and Te Pūnaha Matatini, ‘Factors limiting kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) populations across New Zealand’. Using the past two New Zealand Bird Atlases, the report recognised a significant decrease in South Island Kererū numbers.
They inferred that numbers have likely been dwindling significantly, but highlighted the need for further data—a need the Great Kererū Count intends to alleviate.
Dr Hartley also encourages people to apply kererū conservation efforts beyond this project. “From the data we already have, we know that some of the best ways people can help kererū in their community is by planting trees—like kowhai, which is the most common tree people have seen kererū feeding on.”
The Great Kererū Count hope for one final hoorah from the community, who can play an active role in the conservation of this taonga species—simply by counting them.
Further information about the project and how to get involved can be found on the Great Kererū Count website.
Written by Master of Science and Society student Poppy McGuigan-Hay.