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The BrownTeal (Anas chlorotis), or pateke, is a small dabbling
duck species endemic to New Zealand distributed throughout
the lowland freshwater wetlands and, historically, the Chatham
Islands. The brown teal’s omnivorous diet, restricted
annual range and mainly terrestrial lifestyle give it a unique
ecological niche among waterfowl, somewhat akin to a wetland
rodent, and it serves as a classic example of the influence
of selective forces that operated on birds in pre-human New
Zealand.
The Brown Teal was once widespread throughout New Zealand
but is now rare and restricted to Great Barrier Island and
coastal valleys of eastern Northland. The species has suffered
an ongoing decline in numbers and range since the late nineteenth
century. There are currently fewer than 1000 brown teal living
in a wild state in New Zealand, making it New Zealand’s
rarest waterfowl species on the mainland. The International
Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)
conservation criteria (IUCN, 1994) list brown teal as “endangered”,
and the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) lists
it as a "Nationally Endangered" species.
The Department of Conservation’s Brown Teal Recovery
Plan predicts the imminent extinction of the BrownTteal in
Fiordland and Northland, and forecasts only medium term brown
teal survival on Great Barrier Island without intervention.
Responsible for this decline are the traditional factors that
have had major impacts on all native New Zealand bird life
since the arrival of humans. These include predation from
introduced mammals, habitat loss through wetland drainage
and estuary reclamation, over exploitation and disease. These
factors tend to act together, one factor exacerbating another.
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