Predators kill kererū, but it's lack of food that stops them bouncing back

[PhysOrg]

Historically, kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) used to occur in massive flocks that numbered hundreds of birds. But over the past 200 years, numbers have declined rapidly due to habitat loss and predation by introduced mammals. To what extent are these factors still affecting kererū today? A team of researchers from Manaaki Whenua, led by Dr. Jo Carpenter, gathered and analyzed data from three different sources to find out. The results have just been published in the New Zealand Journal of Ecology.

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