|
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 (pateke) 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 (Pakete) Recovery Plan predicts the imminent extinction
of the BrownTeal 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.
|
