New Zealand's North Island sea bird population is in serious decline

An estimated 90 percent of seabirds in the North island are at risk of extinction according to the Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust report. More than 28 species, including five that are found nowhere else in the world, live in northern New Zealand with very little known about the status of them and the specific threats to them, the report said. Some of the most vulnerable seabirds include black petrels (Procellaria parkinsoni) and the fairy tern (Sternula nereis), New Zealand's most endangered bird, which is down to around a dozen breeding pairs restricted to an area between Whangarei and Auckland.

"We must first understand what threats these seabirds are up against before we can establish a baseline from which to work on researching and conserving them," lead author of the report and doctoral student at the University of Auckland, Eden Whitehead said.

Source: Stuff, 31 May 2019
https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/113142414/new-zealands-north-island…