Story: Wading birds

New Zealand shore plover

New Zealand shore plover

New Zealand shore plover males have a striking black head (brown for females), separated from a brown skull-cap by a white band. Before the arrival of Norway rats and feral cats, shore plovers were common around the mainland, but by the 20th century there were only a few in the Chatham Islands. The Pūkaha National Wildlife Centre at Mt Bruce has been breeding the birds in captivity for release on predator-free islands such as Mana, north of Wellington.

Using this item

Department of Conservation
Reference: 10057179
Photograph by Don Merton

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Gerard Hutching, 'Wading birds - Wrybills and shore plovers', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/9176/new-zealand-shore-plover (accessed 21 April 2024)

Story by Gerard Hutching, published 12 Jun 2006, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015