Kererū count soars

By MiNDFOOD

Image: Tony Stoddard
Image: Tony Stoddard
Sightings of the native bird fly high.

The Great Kererū Count for 2017 saw dozens of New Zealanders join together on a nationwide mission: observing the country’s native pigeon. Every year, the Great Kererū Count team asks New Zealanders to look out for the Kererū so they can better assess where the bird is found.

The 2017 count, which closed on sunday, revealed more than 6034 observations of the Kererū, with 13,600 birds counted. Reports of sightings came from all around the country, with the largest number of Kererū spotted in Wellington, Nelson and Dunedin. Waiheke Island, Whangarei, Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, New Plymouth, Palmerston North, West Coast and Christchurch also found significant numbers of the native pigeon.

Landcare Research is hosting a national Kererū Photographic Competition as part of the Great Kererū Count 2017, which closes on October 22nd. Prizes include Topflite seed bells, a nectar feeder, a kererū shelf from Ian Blackwell and predator control tools. Entries can be submitted to the Kereru Discovery Facebook page and on Instagram and Twitter (#GKCPhotoComp).

The GKC is a partnership between WWF-New Zealand, Kereru Discovery, Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington City Council, and NatureWatch NZ. Visit greatkererucount.nz for more details.

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE

Print Recipe

BECOME A MiNDFOOD SUBSCRIBER TODAY

Let us keep you up to date with our weekly MiNDFOOD e-newsletters which include the weekly menu plan, health and news updates or tempt your taste buds with the MiNDFOOD Daily Recipe. 

Member Login