Predators of Kea

Source Author Year Title Quote
Otago Daily Times Online News 06/04/14 Rebecca Fox 2014 Research aids kea conservation “Nationally endangered, keas have a population of fewer than 5000 that is in decline due to predation by pests such as rats, mice and stoats.”
Otago Daily Times Online News 13/10/14 Matthew Haggert 2014 Health of kea studied “A drop in kea population numbers has left Doc Wanaka biodiversity manager Stu Thorne “slightly” concerned…There had been no aerial drops of 1080 in their habitat around Wanaka, he said. Seven kea were given blood tests during the recent monitoring programme and the results all indicated “low to very low” levels of lead. Mr Thorne ruled out contact with people visiting the skifield as a possible cause of a decline in kea numbers. “There’s probably not any one single cause contributing to a decline, but I do think a growth in predator numbers could be significant. The presence of stoats in the alpine areas and “vulnerable” kea nesting habitats could be having an effect, he said”
Otago Daily Times Online News 10/02/14 Mark Price 2014 Kea-resistance on pellets “Mr Kemp said kea numbers were “going downhill” in areas where there was no predator control”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “By designing operations to control stoats, we can reverse the decline of kea at managed sites”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “Kea were re-classed from ‘Not threatened’ to “Nationally endangered” by Robertson et al. (2012); the criteria for this classification are a population estimate of 1000-5000 and an ongoing or predicted decline of 50-70% in the total population over the next 10 years due to recruitment failure. In order to prevent this failure, effective predator control is critical.”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “Kemp et al. (2014 [unpublished]) identified the key predators of kea using a combination of nest cameras, corpse necropsy and inference… Nest cameras recorded visits by stoats, possums, ship rats, house mice and weka. Stoats were identified as the predator in 3 of the 16 nest failures…Two predation events were confirmed by corpse necropsy; one death by stoat predation was confirmed by DNA analysis and the other was predated by a falcon or a stoat””
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “control needs to take place on a landscape scale to protect kea predation by stoats”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “We have photographs of a possum appearing to kill kea chicks (DOC no date)”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “However stoats are a far more important predator, particularly following mast events when kea nest failure and predation of juveniles and adults are at their greatest.”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “…stoats are the main predators of kea.”
Tbfree New Zealand Ltd AEE TBFree 2014 Assessment of Environmental Effects for Possum Control in the Barton Arthur Area May 2014 “Nationally threatened bird species recorded in or near the operational area are kaka, kea, and New Zealand falcon…These threatened species are potentially at risk from the operation considering the risk that the number of non-target deaths might push the total numbers into a decline from which recovery is difficult”
Tbfree New Zealand Ltd AEE TBFree 2014 Assessment of Environmental Effects for Possum Control in the Barton Arthur Area May 2014 “The possible impacts of this operation on the kea population are considered to be negligible compared to the potential benefits accruing from the reduction in rat, stoat and possum predation.”
Academia 2014 Lorne Roberts 2014 Population estimates of wild Kea (Nestor notabilis) “…severe degradation of this environment from past agricultural practices and introduced browsing and predator species…continues to have an unknown impact on kea food availability”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “A previous standard has been removed, which prevented baits from being sown in areas of low structural vegetation cover (eg alpine herb fields and tussock) above the tree line. This was intended to protect kea by keeping baits out of open areas that could be easily avoided. Subsequent kea deaths at Okarito and Otira suggest that most kea ignore 1080 pellets but a small number will find and eat them whether they are highly visible or not”. This draws into question the effectiveness of the alpine exclusion standard. At the same time, a need for predator control in alpine environments is emerging (O’Donnell 2013). Stoats and mice are prevalent predators in the alpine zone and possums are significant predators of snails.”
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat “The ‘performance standards to reduce kea deaths’ no longer include a standard to avoid sowing open areas above the tree line…the standard was removed for two reasons. First, kea have found and consumed toxic bait in two areas where this standard was applied…Second, the previous standard prevents application of bait in alpine and tussock areas for predator control to protect threatened alpine species like rock wren.
DoC 07/05/2014 DoC 2014 DOC code of practice for aerial 1080 in kea habitat The benefit of predator control in alpine environment could outweigh the potential non-target risk…We are planning to sow 0.15% 1080 Pellets in some open alpine areas to protect rock wren”
Greymouth Star 2014 Laura Mills 2014 More kea poisoned in 1080 drop “Technical advisor threats Michelle Cowell said losing five birds was “naturally disappointing”…But overall the benefits to kea populations from pest control continue to outweigh the loss of individual birds to 1080”
Kea Conservation Trust updates 16/12/13 Kea Conservation Trust 2013 Kea Conservation Trust (KCT) Update “At Nelson Lakes, “Ceejay” is still sitting on 1 chick (pictured to the right)…and Rachel is sitting on 2 chicks. If both nests are successful, it will be the first time that more than one nest per year has avoided predation. Both nests are surrounded by a network of stoat and possum traps…which may be contributing to this success”
Kea Conservation Trust updates 16/12/13 Kea Conservation Trust 2013 Kea Conservation Trust (KCT) Update “28/10/13 Controversial 1080 poison will be used in Kahurangi National Park and bordering areas from tomorrow’… TBfree New Zealand will undertake the large-scale operation to control the bovine tuberculosis (TB) infected possum population…The aerial operation will cover about 22,600 hectares of the national park and adjacent forestry blocks
Kea Conservation Trust updates 16/12/13 Kea Conservation Trust 2013 Kea Conservation Trust (KCT) Update “Chair of the Kea Conservation Trust, Tasmin Orr- Walker said 1080 was the best option for widespread pest control in the South Island – as destruction of kea nests by pests was still the greatest threat for the birds.”
Scientific American 21/01/13 Cristy Gelling 2013 BrainiacParrots Threatened by Widespread Lead Poisoning “Studies of other birds have shown that as lead exposure increases, the chance of death from other causes also increases; it makes animals less resistant to infectious diseases and easier for predators to catch.”
www.keaconservation.co.nz 22/11/2013 T. Orr-Walker 2013 Nest Monitoring “…the reason for lack of [kea] fledglings was attributed to predation of nests by introduced stoats and possums.”
www.keaconservation.co.nz 22/11/2013 T. Orr-Walker 2013 Nest Monitoring “The Kea Conservation Trust has been monitoring kea nests since 2009…nest monitoring was found to be an extremely useful tool, helping to identify predation events, nesting effort and the development of nests and chicks throughout the year. “
NZ J Ecology 23: 95-100 T.C. Green et al. 2013 Monitoring selected forest bird species through aerial application of 1080 baits, Waitutu, New Zealand “The population impacts of 1080 poisoning on forest bird species are largely dependent on the resilience of individual species…For those relatively common bird species that have high reproductive rates…small losses due to 1080 poisoning can be quickly compensated for by increases in reproductive rates”
NZ J Ecology 23: 95-100 T.C. Green et al. 2013 Monitoring selected forest bird species through aerial application of 1080 baits, Waitutu, New Zealand “However for more threatened species (particularly those vulnerable to predators and having low reproductive rates…), significant mortality associated with toxin use could exceed any advantage conferred by reduced predation pressure and thus have detrimental population-level effects.”
Nestor Notabilis 6 T. Orr-Walker 2012 Nest Monitoring – Nelson lakes “…a light aircraft was used to radio track birds (thanks to in-kind support from DOC). Seven kea are present radio tagged in Nelson lakes- two of these are adult females, Ceejay (mate Kelly recently deceased) and Aphrodite…The three identified breeding pairs (confirmed through the 2000-2011 summer survey and 2010 nest monitoring efforts) were followed and their nest cavities identified. Out of a seven possible nest sites, three cavities were confirmed by September 2011. Cameras were set up inside and outside each nest area and images taken throughout the breeding season. Only one of the breeding pairs, Ceejay and Kelly, successfully fledged chicks as follows: Nest site 3 successfully fledged three chicks early in December 2011; Nest site 26 most likely failed due to possum predation; Nest Site 8 was found to be infertile. Unfortunately, Kelly, Ceejay’s mate, was recovered dead during the nesting period (necropsy report cause of “sudden death” -unknown)”
Nestor Notabilis 6 Matt Charteris 2012 Research Projects “…the issues impacting on this species; specifically predation, unintentional pest control by-kill, lead poisoning, feeding of kea by tourists, on-going persecution, sheep flagging and damage to human property”
Kea Conservation Trust Updates Dec 2012 T. Orr-Walker 2012 Field Projects – Nest monitoring updates “Corey Mosen revisited our survey nest sites during October and November. Here’s a quick comparison of each of the nests sites from his first visits in August/Sept…Nelson Lakes…2 nests now have 3 chicks total. Beryls nest has failed (with the loss of 2 chicks and one egg), Queen Pow Pow’s nest has been reduced from 3 chicks to two chicks and How’s nest has reduced from 1 chick and 1 egg to 1 egg and 1 chick. Pest visitation seems to be the main factor for nest failure.”
Kea Conservation Trust Updates Dec 2012 T. Orr-Walker 2012 Decline of kea threatens alpine plants “As well as illegal hunting and pet trade activities, predation, competition for resources with introduced mammals and humans, lead poisoning and habitat degradation have led to the decline in the kea population, Dr Nelson said.”
Wellington Zoo Sarah 2012 Part Four – the days are just packed! “We weren’t expecting a chick, as there is no predator control in this area and her last two nests have been raided. But to our surprise, there was a wee chick there! I say wee but he weighed over 1000g. Cory got him out and we weighed, banded, took bloods and feathers and measured him. We attached a satellite transmitter as part of Erin’s work.”
Wellington Zoo Sarah 2012 Part Five – Telemetry and transmitters “When we have been visiting all the kea nests, they have each had motion sensor trail cameras outside them and we get to see the pictures that are taken outside the nests. The possums that the 1080 are targeting are frequent visitors to most of the Kea nests we checked.”
Wellington Zoo Sarah 2012 Part Five – Telemetry and transmitters “On Monday, we travelled back to Nelson Lakes National Park to check out two more nests. Unfortunately one had been raided by predators, but the other nest was exciting – with two chicks and Dad in the cavity.”
Otago Daily Times Online News 02/07/2012 Mark Price 2012 Kea using sticks as tools “…kea in Fiordland had been observed grasping sticks in their powerful beaks and triggering stoat traps with them. That way, the “cheeky” mountain parrots were able to get their beaks on the egg used as bait in the trap…The unfortunate irony is that the traps are set to protect kea nests from predation by stoats.”
Nestor Notabilis 6 Kea Conservation Trust. Ed. T. Orr-Walker 2012 2011- The highs and lows in brief February-March “Five nest cameras were purchased and placed at nest sites in Arthurs Pass and Nelson Lakes as part of the Wellington Zoo Conservation Fund nest monitoring and tracking project. It is hoped these will capture footage of the kea nesting activity as well as any pest visitation events”
Otago Daily Times Online News 12/09/11 Otago Daily Times Online News 12/09/11 2011 Seven keas dead in the wake of 1080 work “Tracking work showed up to 60% of kea nests were attacked by predators”
Otago Daily Times Online News 12/09/11 Otago Daily Times Online News 12/09/11 2011 Seven keas dead in the wake of 1080 work “The research programme also monitored nests through the breeding season to assess whether safer conditions for kea chicks outweighed risks to individual birds”
http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/cub/data Cornell University – Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2011 2011 NestWatch project “Do not approach nests when young are close to fledging: When the young are disturbed during this stage, they may leave the nest prematurely. Young that fledge prematurely usually do not stay in the nest prematurely despite attempts to put them back, and their survival rates away from or outside the nest are low. So when young birds are fully feathered and very alert, only observe the nest from a distance.”
http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/cub/data Cornell University – Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2012 2011 NestWatch project “Be wary of nest predators. Avoid leaving tracks that can direct predators to nests. Nest predators are everywhere- on the ground, in vegetation, and in the air- and many are smart enough to watch you…Also try not to damage or trample vegetation that could expose nests”
http://watch.birds.cornell.edu/cub/data Cornell University – Cornell Lab of Ornithology 2013 2011 NestWatch project “Don’t leave a dead-end trail: if you plan on visiting the nest frequently, try to take a different route away from the nest site than the route you took to reach it. Walking to the nest and back along the same path leaves a dead-end trail that can lead predators directly to the nest.”
DoC Operational Report DoC 2011 Operational Report for Possum, Ship rat Control in the Otira Possum Control 16 Jun 2011 – 30 Jun 2011 “The reduction in rats, the main prey of stoats, may lead to an increase in stoat predations on birds. The increase in mice may counter this to some degree if stoats switch to mice as their main prey item. In the short term resident stoats will die from feeding on dead possums and rats but this benefit will not be sustained, as stoats will rapidly re-invade the area. The abundance of introduced birds is more likely to form the bulk of stoat prey until rats become more plentiful again”
Forest & Bird The Green Room Forest & Bird 2009 Keas for Keeps “the presence of these young birds seen today shows that without the disastrous impact of stoats and possums that kill most kea chicks on their nests, our Southern South Westland keas here are prospering”
NZ Dept of Conservation Internal Science Series 181 Graeme Elliot & Josh Kemp 2004 Effect of hunting and predation on kea, and a method of monitoring kea populations “Eggs and chicks disappeared from 35% of the nests we monitored and at two of these nests definite sign of stoat predation was found”
NZ Dept of Conservation Internal Science Series 181 Graeme Elliot & Josh Kemp 2004 Effect of hunting and predation on kea, and a method of monitoring kea populations “The main   potential predators of kea nests in montane beech forests in the northern South Island are stoats and possums…The only nest failure we can confidently attribute to a specific predator was caused by a stoat”
NZ Dept of Conservation Internal Science Series 181 Graeme Elliot & Josh Kemp 2004 Effect of hunting and predation on kea, and a method of monitoring kea populations “…there is no reason to suppose that stoat numbers have changed”
NZ Dept of Conservation Internal Science Series 181 Graeme Elliot & Josh Kemp 2004 Effect of hunting and predation on kea, and a method of monitoring kea populations “However our failure to identify the cause of most nest failures means that predator control could easily be focussed on the wrong predators. The highest priority for future kea research should be to identify the causes of nest failure”
The Auk: 118 504 N. Verboven et al. 2001 Effect of investigator disturbance on nest attendance and egg predation in Eurasian Oystercatchers “Predation events are seldom witnessed, and visiting nests to check the contents necessarily results in disturbance of the individuals being studied. Moreover, investigator disturbance may increase the probability of nest predation (Elser and Grand 1993), human scent (Whelan et al. 1994), or nest markers (Picozzi 1995, Yahner and Wright 1985). Human disturbance may also reduce nest attendance or enhance conspicuous behaviour of the parents.”
WWF-NZ Final Report 1 August 1999 64pp G. Elliot & J. Kemp 1999 Conservation ecology of kea (Nestor notabilis) “Kea nests appear to be relatively immune to predation from introduced mammals…Our results agree with a previous study of kea nesting at Arthur’s Pass, where no evidence of significant nest predation was found (Jackson 1963).”
WWF-NZ Final Report 1 August 1999 64pp G. Elliot & J. Kemp 1999 Conservation ecology of kea (Nestor notabilis) “This study is designed to assess the likelihood that nest predators are causing an ongoing decline in kea abundance”
WWF-NZ Final Report 1 August 1999 64pp G. Elliot & J. Kemp 1999 Conservation ecology of kea (Nestor notabilis) “predation was confirmed as the cause of failure at only one nest”
MSC Thesis, Linoln University R. Brejaart 1994 Aspects of the Ecology of kea, Nestor notabilis (Gould) at Arthur’s Pass and Craigieburn Valley. “Introduced predators such as stoats (Mustela erminea) are known to prey on the kea’s only conspecific species, the kaka (Nestor meridionalis) (P.Wilson, pers. Comm., 1994), but it is not known if or how predators affect kea”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “It would seem that starvation is the main cause of death; that all keas have experience of disease and injury; and perhaps most keas have eluded predators”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “Predators: Several times I have seen Falcons attack Keas but always unsuccessfully. When a Falcon attacks a single Kea, the Kea rolls over and parries the blow, and at the first opportunity falls into the cover of the forest or the shelter of a large boulder. Similarly when Keas hear a Falcon they take shelter.”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “And when in the open on a river flat or above the bush line they carefully watch any large bird flying high above. To do this it is necessary for them to twist the head sideways and while in this stance all the Kea’s attention is occupied.”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “The relationship of Black-backed gulls and Keas is uneasy…in the air these gulls do not hesitate to attack a single Kea.”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “Keas take no notice of Wekas…however a Weka could attack an unguarded nest”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “During the last hundred years Keas have shared their environment with rats Rattus spp. And stoats Mustela erminea. I have found no evidence of these animals affecting Keas. ..Twice I have found a dead possum Trichosaurus vulpecula within five yards of a Kea nest. The opossum frequently chooses holes similar to a kea nest as a den and perhaps these two opossums prospected the Kea nests.
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “On occasion, the Kea hen destroys her own eggs and chicks…I have known five nests where the eggs have been eaten and one where the chicks were trodden into the floor of the nest. In the latter case many Keas were about when the chicks were killed. The hen left this nest to make a new nest two miles away…”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “A bad season, as 1957-58 summer, can greatly reduce the number of Keas”
Notornis 16: 33-44 J R Jackson 1969 What do keas die of? “Where keas and men meet, man directly and indirectly causes the death of many Keas. Man is certainly the most important predator”
Notornis X: 319-326 J R Jackson 1963 The nesting of Keas “Some hens, if the observer sits on their promontory while they are nesting, get very excited. They fly in a zig-zag flight close over or around under the promontory, swing out 100 yards on either side and call loudly all the time, perhaps a quarter of an hour. The cock during this display remains further back”
Notornis X: 319-326 J R Jackson 1963 The nesting of Keas “Four of the 8 nests were failures. In two cases the eggs were eaten after the nests had been found. Other evidence suggests the Keas had been incubating these eggs for a long time. In the second two cases when the nest was found the eaten remains of the eggs were already there”
Notornis X: 319-326 J R Jackson 1963 The nesting of Keas “At least three of my seventeen nests with chicks have been discovered by falcons…The parents chase the falcons away. Also visiting Kea are very interested in the nestlings and the parents drive them away from the last five yards of the nest with much noise. I suspect that visiting Keas destroyed the young chicks two or three weeks old in one nest.”
Notornis IX: 39-58 J R Jackson 1960 Keas at Arthurs Pass “A pair does not mind other Keas within 25 yards of their nest. If there are chicks in the nest, visiting Keas are intensely interested in the chicks’ calls.”