The numbers of Tawaki, or Fiordland Crested Penguins, have been slowly but steadily increasing on the West Coast.
Tawaki are the third rarest of the world’s 18 penguin species with a population of around 7000. They stand 60 centimetres tall and weigh about 4 kilograms. Females lay two eggs each year but only one chick is ever fed. This chick grows quickly while the other generally won’t survive more than a few days.
Gerry McSweeney from the Wilderness Lodge Lake Moeraki north of Haast has been monitoring the birds while taking daily guided penguin trips during the breeding season.
“Over the last 26 years since pest control started here, penguin movements across the beach have shown a small but significant increase growing from an average of eight to 24 penguins seen on each trip,” he said.
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