Are birds considered wild at Zealandia and Orokonui

[seattlebirdman]

From a bird listing perspective I'm wondering if the birds are considered wild in places like Orokonui and Zealandia. It will probably be more obvious in person but I haven't been there yet.

I'm thinking if the birds are free to fly and come and go then they would be free but what about Kiwi in Zealandia. There are Predator Fences right? Doesn't this also keep the Kiwi in making them captive?

Thanks

Doug Schurman
Seattle USA

[FlyingKiwiGirl]

Good question Doug, I have no idea but I saw a fernbird at Orokonui on the outside of the fence, then one on the inside so I've got my bases covered!

[Neil Fitzgerald]

If they can fly in and out, I would consider them no different to other translocated populations. Kiwi and takahe are captive there. However, when you get up to over 3000 ha inside your fence (Maungatautari) maybe some would call them wild?

[seattlebirdman]

Thanks Shellie and Neil.

Neil, your criteria makes sense to me.

[Uncia]

Wild: To add a bird to a life list, it must be observed in the wild and behaving as a wild bird would be expected. Domesticated birds, escaped pets or birds that are deliberately imported such as for a zoo, petting zoo or ornamental garden are not acceptable life list sightings.

Free: A bird should not be captive or restrained in any way to be considered part of a life list. Birds that are in wildlife rehabilitation, for example, cannot be counted, and should not be counted immediately after their release until they have resumed wild activities for feeding, roosting, migrating and so forth. Similarly, wild birds in zoos, aviaries and aquariums cannot be counted on a life list.

Established: Ideally, the most "pure" life list will only count birds seen directly in their native habitat that have established viable breeding populations for at least several generations. This is the most controversial factor to consider for building a life list, and in general, if the other conditions are met the bird's population will likely be established. Vagrant birds are an exception, but are generally considered suitable to add to a life list if they arrived outside their range without human assistance – a bird that was captured and unwillingly transported before release in a new area, for example, would not count, but a bird that migrated poorly because of storms could be added to a life list.

[Neil Fitzgerald]

Are those overseas definitions?

[Uncia]

I had read in the USA that a bird that has not been in contact with any human source for 48 hours was considered ok. I don't totally agree but I wonder are the birds at Zealandia supplemented nectar or are the self sufficient? This would be my biggest argument against counting it.

[SomesBirder]

I would not count the birds released at Zealandia as being wild, but wild birds that have entered Zealandia from outside its boundaries can probably be considered to be wild. I certainly would not count the Kiwi and Takahe present there to be wild, as they are flightless birds that will almost certainly never be able to leave the confines of the sanctuary.

[SomesBirder]

I had read in the USA that a bird that has not been in contact with any human source for 48 hours was considered ok. I don't totally agree but I wonder are the birds at Zealandia supplemented nectar or are the self sufficient? This would be my biggest argument against counting it.

Some of the birds there are fed; I know that the Kaka are.

[Neil Fitzgerald]

So a kaka in the suburbs of wellington is not wild, but a kaka in Auckland from Little Barrier is wild? A kokako in the Waitakere is not wild because they were introduced? What about Hunua kokako which are a mix of relict and introduced? Does one need to take a blood sample? A fence is a man made barrier, and so can be a dairy farm. I guess Mapara kokako are not wild either, because they are effectively contained by farmland, a man made construction.
This is all too complicated.
I say know about the species, and the history of it at a site, and ask yourself if you think it is wild.
If it has been established and self sustaining for several generations, and can come and go as it pleases within an area able to hold hundreds of birds, I might put it on my list, if I had one.