If you were a bird, what bird would you be?
Janhavi Gosavi (she/her)
My favourite question to ask people is “if you were a bird, what bird would you be?” No one sees it coming, but many get invested in introspectively finding an answer.
“I would be a kererū, cos they’re chunky and drunk like me.”
“A kea for sure, they’re quite smart but also really funny.”
“I’d have to be a tūī. You can hear them from a mile away and immediately recognise their voice. And they’re usually around, you know exactly where to find them.”
I’m always pleasantly surprised at how many people chose a native bird as their answer. New Zealanders have historically felt a close connection to our indigenous manu—we’ve been referred to as “Kiwis” since the First World War. But this deep relationship is rooted in te ao Māori, according to Local Councillor Tamatha Paul (Ngāti Awa, Waikato Tainui).
“My reverence for our native manu and my desire to protect them is because they are deeply intertwined with my culture”, she says. Tamatha explains that Māori pass down pūrākau and pakiwaitara, or stories, about how cheeky, smart, and observant native birds are. Different species have distinct personalities and “there are many lessons we can learn from observing and protecting them”. Manu also connect Māori to their whanaunga in wider Polynesia with stories about species found in Aotearoa that came from other islands in the South Pacific.
I first felt connected to our manu through the Bird of the Year (BOTY) competition, launched by Forest and Bird in 2005. Imagine explaining to another country why every year Kiwis enthusiastically engage in an election-based online competition to vote for their favourite native bird. Campaigns get heated, ruffling many a feather. Birds can receive celebrity endorsements, from notable figures such as Irene van Dyk, Taika Waititi, Helen Clark, and Annabel Langbein. Countless instances of voter fraud have made headlines, with the most recent scandal being the dismissal of 1500 illegitimate votes for the little spotted kiwi in 2020.
As a kid who grew up glued to Animal Planet, I used to think Aotearoa’s wildlife was bland. Our bush felt too tame, too safe. There were no large predators stalking the trees that could leap out at me. BOTY taught me to find excitement in the small things: how stout takahē stroll through grasslands, how ruru gently put me to sleep with their hooting. While our environment does not pose a threat to me, the same cannot be said for our manu. Colonisation introduced small predators, such as rats, stoats, and possums, which have since decimated native wildlife. And now there is another threat, one that cannot be eradicated with traps.
Climate change is here, and it’s threatening our native birds.
Graham Parker and Kalinka Rexer-Huber from Parker Conservation say rising sea levels can significantly impact sea birds. Low-lying colonies, such as those of the New Zealand fairy tern and the Whenua Hou diving petrel, are “already vulnerable to storm surges and at risk of inundation as sea levels rise”. Climate change also affects seabird prey. For example, the red-billed gull, commonly found throughout the country, depends on krill for successful breeding. However, krill stocks are impacted by changes in temperature, wind, and currents.
The Department of Conservation’s (DOC) Principal Science Advisor Jenny Christie expressed concern for the hundreds of kilometres of traplines that could be flooded by rivers, and for the infrastructure on pest-free islands which is vulnerable to sea-level rise. Rising temperatures increase seed production in trees, providing more food for pests, which could allow them to move further into alpine areas. “This would increase the pressure on birds such as rock wren, kea and Hutton’s shearwaters”, says Christie.
DOC have taken preventative measures by developing their Climate Change Adaptation Action Plan, a long-term strategy to protect our biodiversity. They are also implementing the Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy, and are working towards the Zero Carbon Act.
Remaining optimistic can be difficult. Whenever I see a $50 note, adorned with our beautiful kōkako, I feel disheartened. The South Island kōkako is believed to be extinct, while the North Island kōkako remains threatened. But then I hear that Capital Kiwi, an ambitious local conservation project, is planning on releasing kiwi in parts of Wellington by the end of this year. News like this shows that New Zealanders care, not just with our words but with our actions.
There are many ways students can get involved in conservation efforts to protect birdlife.
Zealandia suggests that students “advocate on a local and national level for policies which address climate change and habitat destruction”. They also recommend getting involved in community conservation, such as joining a local Predator Free group. The Predator Free Trust is pushing for Aotearoa to be free of predators by 2050, and its volunteers run pest control projects throughout the country. A handy map on their website showed me that there's at least 25 Predator Free groups in the suburbs surrounding the Wellington CBD. You could also volunteer at Zealandia itself or with Polhill Protectors, who look after the Polhill Reserve which receives a lot of spillover birds from Zealandia.
It might seem silly, but using social media to rally for the BOTY competition helps with raising awareness. If you’re feeling extra, you can plaster old movie posters around town with your favourite bird photoshopped onto them. An iconic poster that comes to mind is The Rocky Hopper Picture Show: a different set of brows from the 2019 campaign for the beloved penguin.
I write this article perched in my room at the top of Aro Valley, watching flocks of kākā fly overhead whilst pīwakawaka flit in the treetops. Our manu are precious taonga who deserve to be protected and celebrated. Take some time over summer to trek through our reserves and birdwatch. Aotearoa’s native birds have shown such resilience in the face of adversity; we have much to learn from them.