Bird of the Year - The Black Fronted Tern needs your vote

Bird of the Year – support your local!

Right here in Hurunui there’s a lovely bird we can all honour and vote for during Bird of the Year campaign for 2026.

www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

It’s a delicate silvery grey creature with a smart black cap coming down to its bright orange beak… not to mention those bright orange feet and legs.

Introducing the Tarapirohe Black Fronted Tern.

And because of where it chooses to nest, it’s in a bit of trouble…..

Predators, and Mother Nature……

They need bare gravel to nest on, and the braided rivers where the colonies nest are becoming infested with weeds. (And as we all know, the Hurunui district has its fair share of these braided rivers.) These weeds are good at hiding predators which come and feast on the eggs, babies and even sitting parent birds.

In fact, a few seasons ago one hedgehog ate all the eggs in a colony on the Hurunui River. Added to that, wild cats, stoats, weasels, black backed gulls, hawks and even little owls are all making it hard for the black fronted tern to breed successfully.

One colony can have 150 nests destroyed by one cat in just two nights.

Added to that, the heat on the riverbeds can take out baby birds, and the floods caused by the mighty nor’ west can wash the colony away, forcing the birds to start again once the water recedes.

Astonishingly, the birds lay their eggs in barely visible scrapes in the gravel, the eggs and baby birds are so well camouflaged that it’s hard to spot them, even with several around. This is their only natural defence against predation.

Numbers are declining fast

Now, with mammalian predators hunting by smell, often at night, these birds are declining fast. Despite conservation efforts to prevent the loss of eggs and baby birds, it is proving difficult to provide adequate protection for these lovely birds, and even intensive predator trapping is having limited effects, as just one trap-shy predator can decimate an entire colony.

Please vote! What will your vote mean?

So please, do your bit for Bird of the Year, and put your vote in for the Tarapirohe Black Fronted Tern.

www.birdoftheyear.org.nz

Your vote will…. spark awareness and help build a like-minded community, and drive action by helping Forest and Bird highlight major issues like predator control and habitat loss.

Some fun facts about the Tarapirohe Black Fronted Tern:

Scientific name:Chlidonias albostriatus

Māori name: Tarapirohe (also written tarapiroe)

Status: Nationally Endangered in New Zealand.

Height: 28-30 cm long

Weight: Around 95 grams

Breeding adults have:

A black cap covering the top of the head

Pale grey body and wings

Bright orange-red bill

Orange legs

Where do they live?

The bird is endemic to New Zealand, meaning it is found naturally nowhere else on Earth.

They breed on the braided rivers of the South Island, including rivers in North Canterbury such as the Ashley/Rakahuri, Waiau, Hurunui, Clarence catchments.

During autumn and winter they move to estuaries, harbours and coastal areas.

How many are there?

Estimates suggest there are only about 5,000 to 10,000 birds left in New Zealand, and the population is still declining.

What do they eat?

Small fish.

Aquatic insects.

Worms and grubs.

One unusual behaviour is that they often follow tractors and ploughs, catching worms and insects exposed by cultivation.

They are the only tern in the world that breeds exclusively inland

Most terns are seabirds, but black fronted terns nest on inland braided riverbeds instead of beaches or islands.

Their nests are almost invisible

They make a simple scrape among river stones. The eggs and chicks are so well camouflaged that people can easily walk past without seeing them.

A single disturbance can cause a nest to fail

If people, dogs, motorcycles or vehicles disturb a colony, adults may abandon their nests, leaving eggs or chicks vulnerable.

Introduced predators are a major threat

Stoats, ferrets, cats, hedgehogs and rats can wipe out nests. The birds evolved without these mammalian predators and have few defences against them. The bird has evolved to protect themselves against predation by birds from the air and have no defences against mammalian predators who hunt by smell and often at night.

Their habitat is disappearing

Braided riverbeds are being invaded by weeds and altered by river engineering, gravel extraction and land-use changes. This reduces suitable nesting habitat.

They are fearless defenders

Although they are small birds, they aggressively dive-bomb intruders and may even strike people on the head when protecting their chicks.

Why North Canterbury Matters

North Canterbury contains some of the most important braided river habitats in New Zealand. Rivers such as the Hurunui, Waiau Uwha and Clarence/Waiau Toa support breeding colonies of black-fronted terns. Conservation groups, Environment Canterbury, Department of Conservation, and local community groups (which Hurunui District Council lend a hand in) work to protect nesting sites through predator control, weed management and public awareness.

Bird of the Year - The Black Fronted Tern needs your vote

Bird of the Year – support your local!

Some fun facts about the Tarapirohe Black Fronted Tern:

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