Shore Plover
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Shore Plover | ||||||||||||||
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Male Shore Plover.
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Thinornis novaeseelandiae (Gmelin, 1789) |
The Shore Plover (Thinornis novaeseelandiae) is a small species (20 cm in length, 60g)[1] of Plover endemic to New Zealand. Its Māori name is Tuturuatu.
The Shore Plover is an endangered species with a world population of around 200 birds. It once was found across the South Island in New Zealand but became extinct there, probably due to introduced cats and rats. It survived on one island, Rangatira, in the Chatham Islands, from where it has been introduced to other offshore islands in the Chathams (Mangere Island) and near the North Island. Further releases are planned around New Zealand.
[edit] References
- ^ Barrie Heather and Hugh Robertson, "The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand" (revised edition), Viking, 2005
[edit] External links
- New Zealand shore plover recovery plan 2001-2011 (PDF). Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand (2001). Retrieved on 2007-09-28.