Justification This species is classified as Endangered because it has a small population that is estimated to be declining rapidly, owing to the effects of introduced competitors and predators.

Family/Sub-family Psittacidae

Species name author (Gmelin, 1788)

Taxonomic source(s) Sibley and Monroe (1990, 1993), Turbott (1990)

Identification 45 cm. Vocal forest parrot. Crimson underwings, rump, collar. Golden cheeks. North Island subspecies, mainly olive-brown. Dark feather edges. Paler, greyer crown. South Island subspecies, brighter. Crown almost white. Longer bill, more arched in males. Juvenile has yellow base of mandible. Similar spp. Kea N. notabilis is much larger, olive-green all over with scarlet underwing, dark red rump. Voice Noisy, varied, from whistling to grating calls.

Population estimate

Population trend

Range estimate (breeding/resident)

Country endemic?

2,500-9,999

decreasing

71,000 km²

Yes

Range & population Nestor meridionalis is endemic to New Zealand. The North Island subspecies septentrionalis survives in large forest tracts from Coromandel to Wairarapa, and is moderately common only in the forests of Pureora and Whirinaki and some offshore islands^2,3,4. The South Island subspecies meridionalis is mostly found west of the Southern Alps, Fiordland and south-western Southland, Stewart Island and several offshore islands, and is in low numbers in all areas. The population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 birds⁴, and new information indicates that the species has almost disappeared from the mainland except for a few intensely managed sites, and those valleys that remain free of possums. Three generations ago over 90% of the population would have been on the mainland, whereas now less than 50% is found there⁸. Mortality is mainly concentrated on nesting females, so relatively large numbers of males can remain highly visible for a long time after the population reaches a very poor condition functionally⁹.

Ecology: It lives in large areas of low to mid-altitude forest. Its diet is diverse, consisting of fruit, seeds, nectar, sap, invertebrates^1,5, and also "honeydew" in South Island beech Nothofagus forests¹. It appears to depend on infrequently available, superabundant food crops in order to breed^5,6. It nests in natural cavities in old or dying trees. It usually lays four eggs³, and chicks take over seven months to become fully independent⁴.

Threats Historically, forest clearance and hunting decimated habitat and numbers^2,4,5,6. Stoats Mustela erminea kill adults, in particular females incubating eggs, possibly causing the highly skewed sex ratio on the mainland^2,3,6. Brush-tailed possum Trichosurus vulpecula robs nests³, being responsible for the failure of six out of 13 nests in Whirinaki during a single breeding season¹¹, and competes for high-energy foods required for successful breeding^4,6. Black rat Rattus rattus is also implicated⁵. Sites with predator control have a nest failure incidence of 16%, compared to 84% in sites without predator control⁷. Introduced wasps Vespula spp. compete for honeydew, and may be contributing to declines in Nothofagus forests^1,5.

Conservation measures underway CITES Appendix II. Predator/pest control is carried out in several large areas and around known nest-sites³. Kaka have been released into the pest free Maungatautiri sanctuary in the Waikato. Intensive nest protection will be occurring within a small area of Waitutu forest in Southland during the 2007/2008 breeding season. It is hoped that a more extensive integrated pest control regime will be initiated within Waitutu in the next year or two. Supplementary foods were trialled where wasps are a major problem, but did not increase productivity⁶. Radio-tracking is used to identify adult and juvenile movements and survival, habitat requirements and important food sources. An ongoing ex situ breeding programme has resulted in the release of 31 individuals to the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary and the Pukaha Mt Bruce Forest, and breeding has subsequently been recorded in at Pukaha with the population there increasing steadily¹⁰, but unlikely to be sustainable. A 'stoat-proof' nest box has been developed, but adult mortality remains high¹¹.

Conservation measures proposed Develop effective methods for estimating population sizes. Research diet and habitat use in relation to breeding frequency. Develop long-term, sustainable and cost-effective methods of protecting, augmenting and reintroducing populations of the species.

References 1. Beggs and Wilson (1991). 2. Greene and Fraser (1998). 3. T. Greene in litt (1999). 4. Heather and Robertson (1997). 5. Moorhouse (1997). 6. Wilson et al. (1998). 7. Moorhouse et al. (2003). 8. R. Moorhouse per R. Hitchmough in litt. (2005). 9. R. Hitchmough in litt. (2005). 10. ARAZPA (2004). 11. Greene et al. (2004).

Text account compilers Phil Benstead (BirdLife International), Matt Harding (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International), Rachel McClellan (BirdLife International)

Contributors T. Greene (Department of Conservation), Rod Hitchmough (Department of Conservation), Ron Moorhouse (Department of Conservation)

IUCN Red List evaluators Stuart Butchart (BirdLife International), Simon Mahood (BirdLife International)

Recommended citation BirdLife International (2009) Species factsheet: Nestor meridionalis. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 10/2/2010

This information is based upon, and updates, the information published in BirdLife International (2000) Threatened birds of the world. Barcelona and Cambridge, UK: Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, BirdLife International (2004) Threatened birds of the world 2004 CD-ROM and BirdLife International (2008) Threatened birds of the world 2008 CD-ROM. These sources provide the information for species accounts for the birds on the IUCN Red List.

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife

To contribute to discussions on the evaluation of the IUCN Red List status of Globally Threatened Birds, please visit BirdLife's Globally Threatened Bird Forums