page_title: Kererū
section_title: Distribution and conservation
hierarchical_section_title: Kererū / Distribution and conservation
caption_attribution_description: English: The Norfolf Island kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea) is a bird (pigeon) endemic to Norfolk Island, New Zealand.
context_page_description: The kererū or New Zealand pigeon is the only pigeon endemic to the New Zealand mainland. A large conspicuous pigeon with distinctive noisy wingbeats, it is the only remaining New Zealand bird capable of swallowing large fruit, and so is an important seed disperser for native trees. Kererū were a significant food source for Māori and one of the two foods harvested at the New Year. Although widespread in both forest and urban habitats, their numbers have declined significantly since European colonisation and the arrival of rats and possums, and hunting them is now illegal.
context_section_description: The population of the New Zealand pigeon declined considerably after the arrival of humans in New Zealand, and this trend continues, especially in the North Island, but they are still relatively common in the west of the South Island and in coastal Otago. They are commonly found in native lowland forest, scrub, the countryside, and city gardens and parks.
  The introduced Australian common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and introduced species of rats – mainly the ship or black rat (Rattus rattus) but also the kiore or Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans) and brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) – have significantly reduced the amount of fruit available for pigeons and other native birds, and also prey on eggs and nestlings.
  Pigeon populations are also under threat from hunting, habitat degradation, and poor reproductive success. Kererū were very numerous until about the 1860s and large flocks used to congregate in fruiting trees to feed. Restrictions on the shooting of pigeons were enacted as early as 1864, with total protection since 1921, although the enforcement against hunting was not consistent. Some Māori protested, claiming a traditional right to hunt the pigeon. The bird is fully protected under the 1953 Wildlife Act and there have been prosecutions for shooting it.
caption: The extinct Norfolk pigeon (H. n. spadicea)
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