Saddleback’s story of surviving humans
One of the more colourful native birds on display at the South Canterbury Museum is this specimen of a South Island saddleback, or tı¯eke.
This bird is similar in size to a black bird, but is distinctive with wattles on either side of the bill, and the striking chestnut-brown ‘‘saddle’’ across its back, from which it takes its English name.
Although very similar, the North Island saddleback is distinct enough to be classed as a separate species. They are among several native species grouped together as wattlebirds, the others being the extinct huia, the possibly extinct South Island kokako and the endangered North Island kokako.
South Island saddlebacks were once common across much of the South Island, including South Canterbury. They are poor fliers and spend much of their time foraging on the forest floor for insects and other small creatures.
Two waves of human settlement, forest clearance and a range of introduced predators eliminated populations from the mainland, so that by the 20th century they were only found on small islands off Stewart Island.
When rats invaded these in the 1960s, the Wildlife Service quickly relocated populations to rat-free islands around Stewart Island, Fiordland and in the Marlborough Sounds.
The population is now likely to exceed 2000 birds. These populations are still very much at risk, but with careful management they will continue to grow, with introductions to mainland predator-free sanctuaries planned.
The North Island saddleback is in a better state, with an estimated population of 7000 birds.
Most are on offshore islands, but several populations now exist within special sanctuaries.