Pāteke - Brown Teal

Aotea, and especially the Whangapoua basin, is a stronghold for Pāteke (or brown teal), which are New Zealand’s rarest waterfowl.  They are part of Aotea’s landscape – the small brown ducks, sometimes with a shiny green sheen to their feathers, that are active at night, and may be seen feeding in groups at the water’s edge and wetlands on insects and worms. Our main breeding season on Aotea is from July to November. Ducklings may appear at any time and clutches of 13 have been recorded at Glenfern Sanctuary (although outside predator managed areas 2-9 is more common). Ducklings leave mum and dad at 55 days, and birds flock at moulting sites during the summer months. See NZ Birds online for more detailed pāteke info. 

Pāteke are in long term decline

Pāteke / Brown Teal

The population of pāteke has been declining on Aotea since records began. There have been a number of studies of the Aotea population by DOC, beginning in the 1980s with Dave Barker (aka Dave the duck man), an audit of the Brown Teal recovery programme in 2000, which recommended intensified management and increased predator control, and again in the mid-2000s with Jo Sim (Jo Duck as she is now known here).   

Meanwhile residents’ observations and the annual flock counts agreed – there were fewer and fewer birds. Data shows that adult survival is lower than mainland populations, due to a host of factors: lower food availability (especially in dry years), feral cat and dog predation of adults, pukeko, hawk and eel predation of ducklings, and the unknown effects of rats, rabbits, mynas and magpies. 

So what has been done to save pāteke? 

DOC has undertaken annual rabbit, pukeko and feral cat control in the Whangapoua basin, where most pāteke reside. Streams have been fenced and planted, and ponds created, in an effort to improve the quality of pāteke habitat.  Yet the birds are still disappearing.

Feeding at low tide (Image: Joke Baars)

In an effort to spread populations and save the species, DOC has translocated pāteke all over the country. Most pāteke populations outside of Northland and Coromandel today are descended from Great Barrier Island birds.

In late 2020 DOC appointed a Pāteke ranger to get to the bottom of why pāteke were persistently declining on Aotea, and to provide recommendations for their recovery, based on existing data. These recommendations have been made but we are yet to see the outcomes. 

DOC’s pāteke page covering the national picture, and you can read more on how to help pāteke via  the Pāteke Recovery Programme.


Pāteke Burrills

Other Resources:

Have a look at these pāteke articles for more information:

Follow us online …