Which birds thrive on a predator-free island?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-07-22 03:00

New Zealand

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South Island robins and kākā appear to have benefitted the most after rats and stoats were eradicated from some of Fiordland’s islands. Researchers repeated bird surveys first done decades ago on islands in Dusky Sound and Breaksea Sound when Norway rats and stoats were frequent visitors. The new survey results found that birds like tomtits, grey warblers, and chaffinches were counted less often after pests were eradicated from the islands. The researchers say the most likely explanation is that these birds - a mix of endemic, native, and introduced species - were outcompeted by the endemic and now widespread robin.