- Conservation status
- In serious trouble
The pukunui base their nests on the mountaintops of Rakiura Stewart Island and commute down to the beach for kai. Their food-motivated birds and will sometimes even pop across Foveaux Strait to grab a feed on the Southland coast.
Once upon a time, these birds bred on the mainland and up in the Southern Alps, with one intrepid couple recorded breeding at nearly 2500m above sea level! But introduced predators like stoats have dealt a huge blow to these mountains to sea birds. The remaining Rakiura pukunui continue to face threats – from feral cats and even deer, which have been observed eating their eggs. There are only about 105 pukunui left in the world.
Campaign Manager
RealNZ
RealNZ is a family-founded and NZ owned tourism operator, proudly operating in the South of the South - including Rakiura Stewart Island, the home of the Pukunui/Southern NZ Dotterel. Our purpose is to help the world fall in love with conservation, and this is firmly cemented in all areas of our business. This year the beneficiary of our annual Conservation Ball fundraiser is the Pukunui, supporting conservation efforts to protect these endangered wee manu. What better way to keep supporting the Pukunui than to give this wee Kiwi battler the recognition it deserves - as NZ's 2025 Bird of the Year?
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