|
Extinct
is forever
Extinct means
it’s too late. |
| When a species is
extinct, it means that there are no more of the species alive anywhere in the world. Some
species may be ‘extinct in the wild’ which means that the only ones alive are
kept by people, probably in a zoo. |
|
When is extinct, really extinct? People must be careful when declaring a
species to be extinct. They need to be certain that all efforts to find the species have
been made and that there have not been any sightings for a number of years. There have
been cases when people thought a species was extinct – but in fact it was not!
A species may have reduced in
number due to a poor breeding season or lack of food, or the remaining population may be
living in a remote area. Therefore it may not have been spotted for a long time. This may
cause people to think the species has become extinct. A good example of this is the
takahe. The takahe was thought to be extinct as it had not been seen for 50 years, but
Geoffrey Orbell rediscovered the takahe living in a remote Fiordland valley in 1948.
(To learn more about the Takahe,
read ‘Discovering New Zealand Birds‘ by Sandra Morris and ‘Saving New
Zealand’s Endangered Birds’ by Rod Morris and Hal Smith.) |
How many New Zealand birds have become extinct?
See the list of extinct New Zealand birds. |
| Why do species
become extinct?
The answer to this question is
broken up into two parts
- Species that became extinct before
people arrived in New Zealand
- Species that became extinct after
people arrived in New Zealand
|
 |
| Extinctions before people arrived in New
Zealand What do we
know? Nothing for sure because the extinctions happened before people were around to
record it! But scientists have gathered information from fossils and have come up with
some answers. They have learnt that a species may have become extinct because of:
Environmental changes - the climate
or habitat could have changed, causing a lack of food or reduced breeding.
Predators and competitors - species
may have been killed off by predators or had a hard time finding food because of
competition for the same food from other species.
Evolution - some species may have
evolved (changed) into other species. |
| Extinctions
after people arrived in New Zealand There are three things that people did that caused birds to become extinct
in New Zealand:
- People killed many species - for
food, clothing and souvenirs or collections.
- People cleared forests - destroying
the birds’ habitat, killing birds in the process and leaving them with nowhere to
live.
- People brought new predators to New
Zealand - like rats, dogs, possums, pigs, cats and stoats. These new predators killed and
ate birds, bird's eggs and their food.
Most extinctions were not caused by
just one of these things, it was usually a combination of these points.
Let’s have a closer look at
some of New Zealand’s extinct birds…… |
| The
Laughing Owl The
Laughing Owl was given its name because of its call, which sounded like someone laughing.
Its Maori name was Whekau. The laughing owl could once be found throughout New Zealand and
was twice as big as the native morepork. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand there were
only a handful of recorded sightings in the North Island, but the laughing owl was
frequently seen in the South Island. The sightings of the laughing owl became very limited
after the 1880’s. The last laughing owl recorded was found dead in 1914 in South
Canterbury. |
|
| Why did
the laughing owl become extinct? Nobody knows for sure but it was most likely a
combination of events. Laughing owl bones have been found in Maori kitchen middens. Midden
sites are places where large amounts of cooking remains are found, they are ancient
rubbish tips! Midden sites tell archaeologists a lot about the people who lived in lands
before history was written down. If bones of animals are found in kitchen middens it is
proof that they were eaten by people. The laughing owl was probably also a victim of the
introduced animals. Both Polynesians and Europeans brought animals to New Zealand, such as
rats and stoats, that would have killed laughing owls and eaten their eggs and chicks. |
The New
Zealand Eagle
(Also known as the Giant Eagle and the Haast Eagle)The largest eagle ever known once flew in New Zealand skies - the
New Zealand or giant eagle. The giant eagle was endemic to New Zealand, which means it was
only found in New Zealand. Its wingspan measured up to three metres and its talons (claws)
were about 7.5cm long! |
|
| Scientists
think that the giant eagle preyed on other birds, including the moa. There have been three
complete sets of giant eagle bones found. The set of bones found most recently was in a
cave near Nelson in 1989. The youngest set of bones is about 500 years old. Because the
giant eagle would have been at the top of the food chain in New Zealand it is most likely
that there were never great numbers of this bird. Scientists cannot be sure what caused
this giant bird to become extinct but they believe it was a victim of early Polynesian
settlers in New Zealand. It may have been hunted and would have suffered from a lack of
food to hunt when the moa disappeared. |
| The Stephens
Island Wren From
fossils that have been found around New Zealand, scientists know that the Stephens Island
Wren could once be found on the North and South Islands, as well as Stephens Island.
However the only European to ever see the Stephens Island wren alive was David Lyall, the
lighthouse keeper on Stephens Island in 1894. Stephens Island is the northern-most island
in the Marlborough Sounds.
The wren was a very tiny bird,
about the size of a silvereye – a native species often seen in New Zealand gardens.
The wren was flightless and David Lyall described the bird as running about like a mouse.
How did the Stephens Island wren
become extinct? It was eaten by
the lighthouse keeper’s cat!
David Lyall reported that his cat
had brought him 17 birds, which were all the same species (they were later named the
Stephens Island wren). Because the cat was good at hunting and the wren could not fly, the
wren became extinct soon after it was discovered. In fact, the Stephens Island wren was
discovered and then became extinct within the space of a year – the only bird known
to have this happen.
In 1895 this article was in the
Christchurch Press newspaper: |
| "At a recent meeting of the Ornithologists’ Club in
London, the Hon. W Rothschild, the well-known collector, described this veritable rara
avis, specimens of which he had obtained from Mr Henry Travers of Wellington, who, we
understand, got them from the lighthouse keeper at Stephens Island, who in his turn is
reported to have been indebted to his cat for this remarkable ornithological
‘find’. As to how
many specimens Mr Travers, the lighthouse keeper and the cat managed to secure between
them we have no information, but there is very good reason to believe that the bird is no
longer to be found on this island, as it is not known to exist anywhere else, it has
apparently become quite extinct. This is probably a record performance in the way of
extermination. The English scientific world will hear almost simultaneously of its
discovery and its disappearance, before anything is known of its life-history or its
habits." |
| The Bush Wren is also
extinct. The last recorded sightings were: Urewera 1955, Nelson Lakes National Park 1968
and Kaimohu Island (off Stewart Island) 1972. There are two wren species still found in
New Zealand, the Rock Wren (found in the South Island, in alpine and sub-alpine areas) and
the Rifleman (found throughout New Zealand). The Rock Wren is an endangered species. |
Learn about the huia and the moa - two of New
Zealand's most well-known extinct birds.
The Extinct Birds of
New Zealand information was written in July 2000. Updated April 2001. |
 |
|
