Two Māoriiwi, or tribal groups, are campaigning for a portion of the New Zealand government’s new COVID-19 economic stimulus package to help save their treasured, ancestral Raukūmara Forest from being overrun by introduced pests. The Raukūmaras stretch across around 200,000 hectares (494,000 acres) of national park and private land along the North Island’s East Cape. […]
Whether they are the hunter or the hunted, a bird’s camouflage is vital to survival. For raptors and other predators, blending in is key to surprising their prey. Meanwhile, for birds that don’t want to become someone else’s meal, the less conspicious you are, the better. Camouflage is also important for many nesting birds, who […]
Some of the most magnificent finds in nature are seldom seen, and birds are no exception. There may be more than 10,000 species of our fine feathered friends, but sadly, the number is dwindling. In fact, nearly 1500 bird species are facing extinction. For nature lovers, spotting a rare bird is a joyous experience, and […]
For the first time in history, New Zealand has announced an ambitious initiative to eliminate rats, stoats, and possums from the country by 2050, in an effort to rid the country of an ecological scourge ravaging its native wildlife. “New Zealand’s unique native creatures and plants are central to our national identity,” said New Zealand […]
The elusive night parrot, a species thought to be extinct for about 100 years, has finally been captured and tagged by scientists as part of a pioneering project to safeguard the remaining ground-dwelling birds. Aside from two dead parrots found over the past 25 years, the night parrot had not been captured since the 1890s […]
The blobfish (Psychrolutes marcidus), a species that lives at great depths and is rarely seen but resembles a marine Jabba the Hut, has been voted the world’s ugliest animal. More than 3,000 votes were cast in the online competition, with 795 for the blobfish. The campaign, run by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society to decide […]