The Mohua (Yellowhead) of Makarora need you!

We all want our native taonga species to survive – for our children & our children’s children. Unfortunately, introduced predators kill 25 million native birds each year, & conservation of native species is massively underfunded. At Southern Lakes Sanctuary, we, alongside our partner group Central Otago Lakes Branch of Forest & Bird, are working to control predators to ensure the survival of our taonga species.

Mohua (Mohoua ochrocephala), also known as Yellowhead are at risk right now with declining populations – especially in mainland areas. Once one of the most common forest birds in the South Island, they are now found only in a few areas of South Island beech forest. Makarora is one of the only places where you can see & hear mohua at the side of the road – but we are on a knifes edge from losing these birds.

Mohua nest in tree holes, making them highly vulnerable to predation by rats especially while raising chicks.

When beech trees flower & seed heavily (mast season), it leads to a boom in rat numbers. Once the seeds are gone, these predators turn to eating native species like our beloved mohua which can become extinct within a single season if extra measures are not taken.

Sadly, in Makarora we are at that point right now!

Our staff & volunteers have increased trapping & are installing bait stations throughout the forests of Makarora so that the mohua will survive the 2023 beech mast & rat plague.

You can help by donating “a mohua for a mohua” to fund bait & trapping.