New Zealand Robin - Distribution

Distribution

(Petroica australis) is endemic to New Zealand, as in both native to and confined to this region. Historically, (P. australis) inhabited much of lowland New Zealand. Due to habitat loss and introduced predation, their distribution has become much more patchy. The South Island robin has fared slightly better than the Stewart Island robin. There are two populations on the east coast of the island, and slightly more common in the north and west.) However, the Stewart Island robin has been relegated to 3 subpopulations all in the Leptospermum swamp scrubland. Although this habitat is not their preferred, it is less heavily populated by mammalian predators. At one point got down to less than 500 individuals on the whole island. Some of these birds have since been translocated to other islands which lack introduced predators (rats, stoats, bushtail possums) such as Ulva Island, Motuara Island, and Nukuwaiata Island, where they have been relatively successful at establishing new populations (around 600 individuals on Motuara alone). On the South Island, (P. australis) has a strong affinity for Douglas fir plantations, in comparison with native forests (kanuka trees) or Monterey pine plantations. Above all else, this appears to be due to forest structure rather than strict food availability or viable nesting sites. They prefer structurally simple forests with dense, even canopies, and ground covered with leaf litter. When the population was introduced to Ulva Island, there tended to be increased nesting with increasing presence of broad-leaved coastal vegetation, though their primary reasons for settling in a certain place still seemed to be structure of vegetation, as robins have a high degree of nesting flexibility.