Tchaik
Moriori name Pterodroma magentae
Scientific name
The Taiko is one of the larger gadfly
petrels weighing between 500 to 600 grams and has a wingspan
of around one metre. The plumage is black with a white
breast. It is an ocean wanderer spending its entire life
at sea, feeding in the sub tropical waters of the South Pacific
Ocean between the Chatham Islands and South America. It
will return to land only to breed. Current population
estimates range between 120 to 150 individuals with only 14
known breeding pairs. The New Zealand Government's Department
of Conservation class the Taiko as category A, the highest priority
for conservation management. Taiko are also ranked as
Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List Categories (IUCN
1994).
The Taiko is endemic to the Chatham Islands
with the breeding grounds located in dense forest in the southwest
of the main island. Sub fossil and historical evidence
suggests that they once bred in huge numbers in the southwest
of the island. However once Europeans arrived along with
introduced mammalian predators the Taiko all but disappeared
within 100 years and were considered extinct until 1978, when
they were rediscovered by ornithologist David Crockett, (see
history section). Unfortunately for the Taiko they had
no colonies on nearby predator free off-shore islands, so their
situation today remains vulnerable. Without continuing work
to protect the adults and young from predators they would rapidly
become extinct.
Taiko Calls
Taiko, like all gadfly petrels are very vocal,
both in the air and on the ground and have a large repertoire
of calls. Common to many species is a 'ti-ti'
call, other calls include long, low frequency moans and persistent
churring sounds.
More than other tubenoses, gadfly petrels will
often respond to human imitations of their calls. This
has become a very useful technique for encouraging some of
the more endangered species such as: the Bermuda petrel and
the Galapagos petrel to sites where they can be better protected.
This technique is also planned to be used with the Taiko.
Press play to hear a Taiko calling.
Gadfly
Petrels
Gadfly petrels form the largest group of tubenosed birds,
with about 30 species in the Genera; Pterodroma.
( Pteros = wing and dromas = running, thus 'winged
runner'). The name 'gadfly petrel' refers to their impetuous
stooping maneuvers in flight, the old name Oestrelata for
the genus, derives from the Greek oistrelatos -goaded
by a gadfly.
They consist of a diverse assortment of small to medium size
species, many of which breed in tropical and sub tropical
seas. All have a black bill which is short, deep and heavily
hooked. Being oceanic in nature they are rarely seen
near land. Their flight is agile, fast and very powerful which
is reflected in the name 'gadfly' which these petrels were
given by early sailors. When breeding they lay
one large egg, usually in a burrow and have long incubation
and fledging periods.
Breeding
Breeding is during the southern hemisphere
summer from September till May. Adults return in late
September to clean out and prepare their burrow. Taiko
nest in burrows two to five metres in length which the male
excavates. The breeding pair will use the same burrow
each year and usually mate for life with the same partner.
A single white egg is laid around the end of November or beginning
of December. Both parents share the incubation of the
egg which will last for 55 days. Once the chick hatches,
usually around the middle of January, both parents will feed
the chick for approximately 105 days until the chick is
ready to fledge. When the chick is ready to fledge and
depart out to sea, it will climb a tree in the dense forest
and then launch itself for the five kilometre flight to the
coast and out into the South Pacific Ocean. The Taiko
chicks will then remain at sea for seven or eight years until
they are ready to return to the Chatham Islands,find a mate
and breed themselves.
Burrows
Taiko are a burrowing petrel that can construct
burrows up to 5 metres in length. The end of the burrow
opens into a nest chamber where the chick will spend the first
105 days of its life, after hatching. The parents return
every few days to feed the chick until it is ready to fledge
and leave the burrow for the open sea.
