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New Zealand fairy tern/tara-iti recovery plan (PDF, 259K)

Summary

The New Zealand fairy tern (Sterna nereis davisae) is New Zealand’s rarest indigenous breeding bird. It is a morphologically distinct, geographically and genetically isolated, endemic subspecies of an Australasian species, which consists of two other recognised subspecies: S. n. nereis in Australia and S. n. exsul in New Caledonia.

The population is estimated to number 35 to 40 individuals and now only breeds at four breeding sites in the North Island. It is threatened by introduced mammalian predators, disturbance and habitat modification. This plan presents a revised goal and the objectives required to continue recovery of the New Zealand fairy tern. Actions in this plan focus on the continued protection of the breeding pairs and their progeny in situ. Research is required on critical population demographics.