How you can help starving ku¯kupa
Forest & Bird’s Northland forest advocate Dean Baigent-Mercer has added another perspective that the Whanga¯rei Bird Recovery Centre is seeing a lot of starving kereru¯ (Ku¯kupa starving as food sources disappear, August 29).
“There’s been a disruption in the seasonal food calendar this winter because taraire haven’t fruited much. Taraire are the powerhouse of northern forest ku¯ kupa (kereru¯ ) populations, and with their big purple fruits they used to feed flocks of thousands,” he said.
“However, in areas of Northland with top-quality pest control that includes targeting rats, they are doing fine, because they are currently eating berries of porokaiwhiri/ pigeon wood and other trees that have ripe berries at the end of winter and the start of spring.
“In areas where pest control doesn’t target rats, the high numbers of rats have scoffed the berries meant for ku¯ kupa, which means the birds miss out.”
Even those who were not in a position to reduce rate populations could help by planting kowhai, whose leaves could feed the birds until various berries were ready.
“But the best thing you can do is carry out pest control in bush that targets all the culprits — rats, possums, stoats, ferrets and feral cats,” he added.
“Introduced rats and possums scoff the berries kereru¯ eat, feral cats, ferrets, and stoats kill adult kereru¯ , and all these pests target kereru¯ chicks and eggs.
“Survival is tough for these birds we love, but effectively controlling all the pests means we can bring back massive kereru¯ flocks like there used to be. Let’s aim for that.”