05/09/2026
We’re backing tara iti for Bird of the Year! 🐦⬛
Why? Tara iti / New Zealand fairy tern are the rarest birds in Aotearoa New Zealand with fewer than 50 individuals surviving, so this taonga needs all the awareness they can get!
Nesting on low-lying sand banks near the ocean, their eggs and chicks are extremely vulnerable to predation by introduced mammals and growing disturbance from off-road vehicles, people and their pets, as well as high tides and extreme weather.
We’re proud to be playing a crucial role in conserving tara iti with our partners at the Department of Conservation - this year will mark our seventh year applying the Zoo’s specialist bird care skills in support of their recovery.
This novel approach to tara iti conservation sees wild-laid eggs brought to the Zoo by DOC rangers, where they are hatched and hand-reared, before being released to fledge naturally within a predator-exclusion pen and join the wild population. Last breeding season was our most successful yet with 10 chicks hatched and cared for at the Zoo prior to their release – giving the tiny wild population an essential boost.
We’d love to see you backing tara iti as one of your five manu in Forest & Bird's Te Manu Rongonui o te Tau / Bird of the Year for 2026.
Click the link in our comments to vote!
📸: clockwise 1-4 Auckland Zoo, 5 - Darren Markin.
