Ī’oi project takes flight

This week marked an exciting milestone for the Ī’oi project led by Te Ipukarea Society, as researchers successfully captured and tagged the first ī’oi in the Takitumu Conservation Area. This achievement kicks off a critical phase in understanding and protecting these elusive forest birds. Over the next few weeks the team of ī’oi researchers will be catching as many ī’oi as possible in ‘mist nets’ with the help of a team from the Department of Conservation from New Zealand who are here on their annual kākerōri banding trip. Mist nets are a tool used in avian conservation to catch forest birds in a very fine net that becomes very difficult to see (like mist) when set up correctly.

Fitting birds with bands in unique colour combinations allows us to monitor them as individuals and collect key data about their survival, population size and behaviour. The transmitters that are being fitted on ī’oi give off a signal that allows them to be tracked as they move through the forest. Over the next few months this signal will be tracked by the ī’oi team and the data will tell us more about how far they travel, their home range, what areas they use, and what habitats are important for their conservation.

The first ī’oi to be caught during this project marked an important milestone as it was previously uncertain whether ī’oi could be lured into the nets by playing calls–a method that may not have worked for the wary, shy, and seemingly very smart birds. Trialling this method was a success
although they are still very cautious and it requires a lot of patience, hiding and watching with
fingers crossed!

Once caught in the net, the birds are carefully untangled by trained experts, measurements are taken, and the bands and transmitters are attached. The ī’oi proved to be quite feisty and was doing its best to get revenge on the handlers with its strong curved bill. Once released it even paused for a second to get another bite or two in before flying off! A few days later the team returned with the tracking equipment to check if the signal was working correctly and if the bird had left the area or not. As soon as the equipment was turned on it picked up a loud and clear signal right away, telling us the direction the bird was at that moment!

A dedicated team of volunteers have come together in recent weeks to make this project possible. The ī’oi team have been busy building nest boxes, funded by NES, learning how to monitor birds and record band combinations, and how to search for natural nests. Together, the team are the eyes and ears of the project and will be on high alert for signs, patterns, and behaviours that will help us learn about the ī’oi’s ecology. So far they have already recorded some new calls and noticed a recent change in calls from the ī’oi that may indicate they are entering their breeding season. As the team continues their work, they remain hopeful and excited about the insights yet to come from these fascinating birds.