The Southern NZ Dotterel is one of the closest birds on the planet to extinction. There is estimated to be just 126 individuals as of April 2023— representing a 13% decline from the previous year.

Southern Dotterels are no ordinary shorebirds. They feed on beaches and estuaries for most of the year, but when the breeding season comes around, these birds ditch the beach-bathing lifestyle to become mountaineers. Southern Dotterels breed on the remote mountain tops of Stewart Island/Rakiura, however, they were once abundant across the alpine regions of the South Island, with breeding records found as high as 2,500 meters above sea level in the Southern Alps

Unfortunately, Southern Dotterels were wiped out from their breeding locations in the South Island in the early 1900’s—largely due to the introduction of stoats and feral cats.

Rakiura is the last refuge for these birds, but it is still not safe. Feral cats frequently predate on adult birds and their chicks. White-tail deer and rats have also been observed scavenging dotterel eggs.

Supporting this cause will aid desperate pest control efforts in remote dotterel breeding habitats, helping to protect the birds when they are most vulnerable. Additionally, it will help fund monitoring and research of the species.

Please help us raise the rest and save this critically endangered species.