Chatham Islands, New Zealand

Tui have been re-introduced onto the main island of the Chatham Islands in an operation described as a world-first.

The operation, initiated by the Chatham Islands' Taiko Trust, involved 14 young tui being transferred from Rangatira (South East Island) to Awatotara on the main Chatham Island this week. The 14 birds are currently being held in an aviary and will be released into the wild on Saturday March 14 2009.

The Chatham Island tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae chathamensis), an endemic sub-species to the New Zealand tui, disappeared from the main Chatham Island in the early 1980s. The birds currently only breed on Rangatira and Pitt Islands in the Chatham Group. Research by Peter Dilks from the late 1990s estimated the adult tui population on those islands at about 350 birds.

Tui are an iconic species for the Chatham Islands and New Zealand; easily recognisable and important in the pollination of native plant species.

Taiko Trust chairwoman Liz Tuanui said Chatham Island locals were keen to reintroduce tui as part of the ecological restoration of the Chatham Islands.

"Over the past few years, landowners on the Chathams have worked hard to restore native forest areas. There are a number of areas that are being intensively managed with native replanting programmes and predator control."

This project, a world-first, was developed by the Taiko Trust and funded by BirdLife International's Community Conservation Fund. Predator control in the release area was funded by the Biodiversity Condition Fund.

Birdlife International is a global partnership of conservation organizations for the protection of birds and their habitats. The Royal Forest and Bird Society is the Birdlife partner in New Zealand.

Liz Tuanui said South East Island was chosen as the source population as this is the main breeding location for tui in the Chatham Islands. After breeding, which only occurs during good flax flowering years (roughly 1 in 3 years), adult tui over-winter on Pitt Island. Many of the young birds do not survive the winter.

The Awatotara on main Chatham was chosen as the release site as it has been part of a major restoration project by the Tuanui family since 1993 and has had intensive predator control and habitat recovery since this time.

Fourteen juvenile tui were transferred from Rangatira to main Chatham Island on Monday 9 March 2009. The birds were individually colour-banded with ten also carrying radio transmitters for use in following their movements on main Chatham.

All tui safely made the journey to main Chatham on a local fishing boat and were vehicle transported to the Awatotara.

The tui are being held in a temporary aviary for several days and fed a combination of fruit, native tree berries and sugar water. The birds will be released on Saturday 14 March 2009.

Following release, the birds will be monitored and extra food and sugar water will be available. Predator control and re-vegetation programmes are continuing in the release area.

Liz Tuanui said the reintroduction of the tui was a big step for the Chatham Islands community and their efforts to improve their environment.

Chatham Island residents are encouraged to report sightings of tui to the Trust or the Department of Conservation -  report sightings of tui online..