The southern red-breasted plover or southern New Zealand dotterel (''Charadrius obscurus obscurus'') is a bird endemic to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and was once widespread across the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

, though now it breeds nearly exclusively on

Stewart Island Stewart Island ( mi, Rakiura, ' glowing skies', officially Stewart Island / Rakiura) is New Zealand's third-largest island, located south of the South Island, across the Foveaux Strait. It is a roughly triangular island with a total land ar ...

Taxonomy

Traditionally, the southern New Zealand dotterel and its cousin, the

northern New Zealand dotterel The northern New Zealand dotterel or northern red-breasted plover (''Charadrius obscurus aquilonius'') is a shorebird which breeds exclusively on beaches in New Zealand's North Island. Taxonomy First described in 1994 as a subspecies, the holot ...

, were lumped together into one species under the name

New Zealand dotterel The New Zealand dotterel (''Charadrius obscurus'') is a species of shorebird found only in certain areas of New Zealand. It is also called the New Zealand plover or red-breasted dotterel, and its Māori names include , , and . The southern s ...

. However, studies have shown that there are significant morphological differences to justify the separation of these two subspecies, with the southern subspecies being far bulkier. Not only that, but different environments on the South Island may have given rise to different features, such as stronger winds necessitating a longer middle toe and claw. There are also significant differences in behavior, with the northern New Zealand dotterel preferring sandy beaches, while the southern New Zealand dotterel prefers inland nest sites, wintering on the South Island's beaches. In 2014, this subspecies was split by some taxonomic authorities.

Distribution and habitat

While it was formerly found throughout the

, it is currently restricted to

, where it breeds on inland mountain tops, plains, and river valleys.

Status

The population of Southern New Zealand dotterels has fluctuated. It has largely died out in the South Island due to introduced predators such as

feral cats A feral cat or a stray cat is an unowned domestic cat (''Felis catus'') that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens ...

and

stoats The stoat (''Mustela erminea''), also known as the Eurasian ermine, Beringian ermine and ermine, is a mustelid native to Eurasia and the northern portions of North America. Because of its wide circumpolar distribution, it is listed as Least Conc ...

. However, population numbers swelled to around 290 birds in 2005, followed by intense decline to around 120 individuals. The cause is unknown. It is not due to a lack of

recruitment Recruitment is the overall process of identifying, sourcing, screening, shortlisting, and interviewing candidates for jobs (either permanent or temporary) within an organization. Recruitment also is the processes involved in choosing individual ...

, but rather a decline of mature birds. Consequently, it has been categorized as critically endangered.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:dotterel, southern New Zealand

southern New Zealand dotterel The southern red-breasted plover or southern New Zealand dotterel (''Charadrius obscurus obscurus'') is a bird endemic to New Zealand, and was once widespread across the South Island, though now it breeds nearly exclusively on Stewart Island. Tax ...

Stewart Island

Taxa named by Johann Friedrich Gmelin Subspecies