A lone seabird – an ōi chick – huddles deep in its burrow. Freshly cracked from its egg, it barely has time to meet mum and dad before they both head out to sea, taking turns to gather a rich meal of fish and squid slurry for their precious chick.
In a hypnotic doze, the chick waits. Parents return only every 5–10 days, trading shifts in the immense challenge of raising a single chick from September through December. It takes both parents to bring a chick to fledge – no small feat in today’s world, where danger lurks at every turn.
It wasn’t always this way. Once, ōi chicks were raised without predators. Before humans introduced rats, stoats, ferrets, cats, dogs, and even pigs, seabird colonies flourished unchallenged across Aotearoa’s coasts and islands.
For this chick, survival has taken a dramatic twist.
Ferrets are ruthless hunters. Once they discover a seabird colony, they can wipe it out in a single night. Last week, tragedy struck when a ferret attack claimed nine adult ōi, along with several chicks and eggs. At one burrow, devoted parents were ambushed right outside the entrance, while others were deep down inside.
Somehow, one small chick survived.
We are still piecing together what happened. It seems likely one parent was killed in the attack, while the other may still be at sea. In the meantime, Karioi Project rangers have stepped in – carefully monitoring the orphaned chick’s weight and progress.
The big question remains: will the surviving parent return? Typically, a lone ōi parent will abandon the burrow, unable to keep up with the immense demands of feeding a chick alone.
This tiny ball of fluff now sits in suspense – a symbol of resilience, and of what’s at stake.
Predator Control Matters
This single story echoes across our coastline: seabird colonies that once thrived are now at constant risk. Without landscape-scale predator control, generations of seabirds can vanish overnight.
Every ōi lost is a reminder of why our work to protect seabirds and restore predator-free habitats is so urgent.
With your support, we can continue building predator-free habitats, protect vulnerable seabirds like ōi – as well as our wetland and forest birds – and give future generations the chance to thrive. Together, we’ve already achieved so much. Let’s continue to make Whāingaroa a place where seabirds – and people – can flourish.
Join the Backyard Hub!
Nearly 400 Whāingaroa households are already part of the Karioi Backyard Hub – setting traps, monitoring pests, and helping protect seabirds, wetlands and forest right from their backyards.
This year, we’re aiming to bring another 50 households on board. Will you be the next one ?
Every backyard counts. Together, we can make Whāingaroa predator free – and a place where seabirds like ōi can thrive once more.
To join the Backyard Hub, get in touch: www.karioiproject.co.nz
