Photo / Liz Brown / DOCOne hundred and fifty of the world's rarest wading birds have been released into the Mackenzie Basin. It's a significant boost for the kakī/black stilt as the bird's population once dropped as low as 23. Thirty-nine wild breeding pairs of the bird were identified this season, the most on record. "This season, 54 per cent of the wild breeding pairs laid eggs on private land. She said after a great year of raising chicks, it was rewarding to see so many birds released back into the wild to add to the growing population.

Source: New Zealand Herald September 02, 2021 02:36 UTC