Whio habitat
Whio are well adapted to living in and around cold, fast flowing, clean rivers. They mostly swim and only fly if disturbed, or patrolling their territory. Whio like to eat the larvae of caddisfly, mayfly, stonefly, as well as freshwater snails. They breed in forest surrounding the river.
An endangered bird
Whio are now only found in some parts of the North and South Island. Their low breeding success is thought to be due to:
- stoats killing female whio and eating eggs and chicks
- attacks by rats, dogs, cats and possums
- habitat being cleared and less river flow
- certain farming work that makes the river dirty and kills off whio's food
- building nests in areas that get flooded.
Saving Whio
Whio are one of our most endangered endemic birds. The Department of Conservation has a partnership with Genesis Energy to secure the future of whio. Genesis Energy runs a hydro power station which uses water from the Tongariro River. They make sure enough water keeps flowing downstream for whio and they provide funding for projects like Whio Forever.
