A tūturiwhatu New Zealand Dotterel blissfully unfazed by an Air NZ plane landing in the background at Auckland Airport. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Airport
An endangered species of bird is taking up residence next to Auckland Airport's taxiways.
In the past eight weeks, four pairs of tūturiwhatu / New Zealand dotterel have used the grassy areas of the airport for nesting and egg laying.
It is estimated there are just over 2500 tūturiwhatu endemic to the country.
A tūturiwhatu New Zealand Dotterel walks along a runway at Auckland airport. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Airport
Auckland Airport wildlife manager Lucy Hawley said the airport was a perfect place for the bird with high fencing around the perimeter keeping out predators.
"This is very attractive to nesting dotterels and our airfield's become a real sanctuary for them," Hawley said.
"These tiny little birds take absolutely no notice of the giant planes moving all around them and have no issues setting up home right beside the taxiways," she said.
She said the airport took great care to kept track of the nests and birds to ensure they were safe.
"We love doing our part to help this important species to breed," she said.
It wasn't something new to the airport, Hawley said, it was common to see the endangered species move in around October.
A certified bird bander identifying a tūturiwhatu New Zealand Dotterel chick at Auckland Airport. The birds will be tracked to see if they return to nest each year, and to find out if their chicks also return to lay eggs at Auckland Airport. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Airport
"Each year we get between eight and twelve dotterels nesting at the airport," Hawley said. "Over the past 10 years we estimate we would have seen around 80 dotterels hatch on our airfield, something we're super proud of."
More pairs were expected to arrive at the airport between November and Christmas.
The airport said its wildlife team was also partnering with certified bird banders to work on banding the birds to track their nesting behaviour.
