THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRDS

Birds are integral to healthy ecosystems, playing crucial roles in pollination, seed dispersal, pest control, and nutrient cycling. They also serve as scavengers, helping clean up carcasses and preventing the spread of diseases. Some birds are important indicators of environmental health, with their populations reflecting the overall well-being of an ecosystem.

The biodiversity of Aotearoa, New Zealand is essential to our identity, culture and well-being.  (biodiversity = the whole variety of native animals and plants, all micro-organisms and the ecosystems they create). Our native plants and animals and the communities they form are affected adversely by direct or indirect human activities.  We need to take more care as we are intertwined with nature and our health actually does depend on healthy ecosystems. Birds are just one part of this..

Our native plants are dependent on native birds for successful pollination, seed dispersal and regeneration. Tūī, bellbirds, and silvereyes perform the majority of pollination in our native bush. Over 70% of plants in our native forests have fleshy fruit. Many seeds hidden within these fruits have seed coats that must be weakened by chemicals as they pass through the digestive system of another organism in order to germinate.  The kererū, tūī and bellbird eat these berries and disperse these seeds far away from the host tree’s location, enabling the tree to potentially colonise a new area.  Native birds make big contributions across habitats. When avian species are lost, their particular functions and benefits disappear too and introduced species can’t easily replace the critical roles those native ones provided. Which is why preserving bird diversity is so important.

WILDLIFE rehabilitation

Wildlife rehabilitation is the rescue, first aid and supportive care of sick, injured or abandoned wildlife. It may involve veterinary care, feeding, nursing, housing, physical and nutritional support of animals. Successful rehabilitation results in fit, healthy animals that can be released back into the wild. (WReNNZ definition).

There are many individuals in New Zealand who give their time and expertise to rehabilitate native birds, paying all related costs of rehabilitation from their own money. Some rehabbers have centres open to public, these can vary in size, others are private and work through vet centres. Some only take native bird species, others do both native and introduced bird species. Most rely on donations and have paid jobs as there is no funding model for this type of work. All native wildlife is protected and rehabbers must have a permit from DOC. This is to ensure the rehabber has sufficient knowledge to care for injured wildlife. Vets have a duty of care towards all animals and will take injured wildlife.

ABOUT ME

Kia ora

I’m based in Nelson and have been involved in conservation activities and wildlife rehabilitation for many years. I’ve been made aware of the lack of information in the Nelson Region for injured native wildlife. This website I have created, has basic information to help build people’s knowledge about native birds.

I have a DOC Authority to hold avian wildlife species in captivity for the purpose of rehabilitation and am a member of WReNNZ.  I collaborate with a local vet who triages injured birds brought in by the public, the birds then come to me for rehabilitation. The costs associated with the rehabilitation work come out of my own pocket, I am not funded for this work.  It can take many months of care for an injured bird to heal, especially birds with fractures. The best reward for all this hard work is releasing them back into the wild and watching them fly away. 

Ngā mihi

Mel