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A citizen science project is taking flight across the Auckland-Northland isthmus, calling on locals to report the eerie night-time calls of tītī/Cook’s petrels, better known to some as “flying goats” thanks to their goat-like cries.
The Tītī Cook’s Petrel Mainland Flyway project invites residents to record when and where they hear the seabirds passing overhead. Though most people never see them, thousands of Cook’s petrels traverse the night sky each breeding season, shuttling between their colonies and offshore feeding grounds.
An astonishing 98 per cent of the species’ global population breeds on Te Hauturu-o-Toi/Little Barrier Island, with smaller colonies on Aotea/Great Barrier Island and Whenua Hou.
During the breeding season from October to April, the birds forage as far east as the Chatham Islands and as far west as the Tasman Sea. Many return by cutting directly across the Auckland-Northland isthmus, calling as they pass overhead, particularly between October and January.
However, April brings a dangerous period for fledglings leaving their colonies for the first time. Drawn to Auckland’s bright lights, young birds often end up grounded, injured or vulnerable to predators.
The project aims to raise awareness of this remarkable seabird behaviour, highlight the risks fledglings face from artificial lighting and promote the globally significant Auckland isthmus flyway, which is also used by other threatened species, including the tara iti/New Zealand fairy tern.
By logging call locations, volunteers will help scientists build a clearer picture of petrel flight paths and seasonal patterns.
The project reporting call can be found here: https://forms.gle/ANpjMjhp69QrmtnWA
