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Breeding and survival of New Zealand Pigeons Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae
Author(s) -
CLOUT M. N.,
KARL B. J.,
PIERCE R. J.,
ROBERTSON H. A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
ibis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.933
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1474-919X
pISSN - 0019-1019
DOI - 10.1111/j.1474-919x.1995.tb03248.x
Subject(s) - predation , nest (protein structural motif) , seasonal breeder , biology , ecology , productivity , geography , biochemistry , economics , macroeconomics
The breeding and survival of New Zealand Pigeons Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae were studied by radiotelemetry at three contrasting native forest sites in the North and South Islands of New Zealand. At each site, mean annual productivity was low (0‐0.12 fledglings/adult) in relation to the mean annual rate of adult mortality (0.18‐0.53). Losses of eggs and chicks to introduced mammals were the main identified causes of nest failure. Causes of adult mortality included episodic predation by introduced mammals and apparent starvation in spring at one site. At the most intensively‐studied site (Pelorus Bridge), where 75 birds were radiotagged over 7 years, there was a marked annual variation in breeding success (0‐0.3 fledglings/adult), including one season (1986–1987) when no breeding activity was detected at all. New Zealand Pigeons were legally hunted in the past, but our results indicate that harvesting is unlikely to be sustainable under current ecological conditions.