The yellowhead or mōhua is a small, insect-eating bird found in South Island beech forests. Their numbers declined dramatically from the 1970s but were recovering in the early 2020s. Yellowheads are the last link in a chain that begins in years when beech seeds are plentiful. When the seeds are abundant, rats and mice reach plague proportions. In turn, stoats, which eat the rodents, also increase in number. The stoats then prey on yellowheads and their chicks.
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Department of Conservation
Reference:
10047414
Photograph by Ian Southy
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