Threats to stitchbird/hihi
Fight for survival
Wild cat. A threat to stichbird/hihi
In pre-European times, hihi were found throughout the North Island and on several islands such as Great Barrier, Little Barrier (Hauturu) and Kapiti. Sadly the species became extinct on the mainland with the last recorded sighting in the Tararua Ranges in 1883.
Habitat loss, the introduction of mammalian predators such as cats and rats and specimen collection probably contributed to the decline of hihi on the mainland. They also appear to be especially prone to the effects of diseases, which may have been introduced to New Zealand with domestic birds.
The only naturally surviving population of hihi is found on Little Barrier Island (Hauturu) in the Hauraki Gulf. Hauturu was declared a bird sanctuary in 1894 and later a nature reserve, a move that undoubtedly saved the hihi from extinction. There are now also small managed populations of hihi on Tiritiri Matangi and Kapiti islands, as well as Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington.