Australasian Birds

Notiomystidae : Stitchbird

Stitchbird

Notiomystis cincta

Tiritiri Matangi Island, New Zealand - November 2005

This endemic of the North Island of New Zealand was formerly common in the southern parts of the island. Unfortunately, the introduction of predatory mammals, such as stoats and cats, caused a massive population crash in the 20th Century and today the only natural remaining population is on Little Barrier Island, a few miles off the coast of Aukland in the Hauraki Gulf. However, the population has bounced back on Little Barrier Island since all the cats were exterminated on the island in the 1980's, and reintroduction schemes are currently underway on 3 other islands (Tiritiri Matangi, Kapiti and Mokoia).