Live kororā action!

Watch me in real time as I build my nest, lay eggs and raise my chicks.

Highlights from 2020 nesting season – video clips from the Groundtruth site: See a selection here.

I am a kororā – a little blue penguin

I am the world’s smallest penguin. I grow to about 25cm tall and weigh about 1 kg. I spend a lot of time feeding at sea but come ashore to rest, nest and moult.

On land I can make a burrow to nest in quite close to the beach – or quite a long way inland. On Kāpiti Island some of my cousins nest right up near the trig!

On the Kāpiti Coast I live in small colonies in Paekākāriki and Pukerua Bay – and in larger numbers on Mana and Kāpiti Islands. My minders at the Kāpiti Biodiversity Project are currently surveying other coastal areas between Paraparaumu and Ōtaki to find out if any of us are living there. Thank you DOC for funding this work.

You can find out more about me here on the DOC website.

My family and whanau are classified as
’At Risk – Declining’

Every day when we are feeding our chicks we run the gauntlet between our nesting sites and the sea.

We are very vulnerable to attack by rats, stoats, cats and dogs.  Dogs especially worry us. We smell so attractive to a dog and we freeze if we are scared. Some of us have been killed by dogs on our Kāpiti Coast beaches.

Please do not try and find us on our beaches or nest sites: we are easily frightened and might abandon our nests if disturbed too much. Look instead at our videos and live cam.

Setting up the Kororā Cam

We have installed a camera on a local nesting site…

Watch the live cam or view one of the other videos:

• The kororā chicks at three weeks old

• A feeding frenzy when a parent comes back with food: “Dinner time in a Korora nest”

Telling everyone where kororā live 

We have put up two big information boards on kororā – one at the entrance to Ames St. Reserve in Paekākāriki and one at the south end of Pukerua Bay beach.

Spreading the word 

We have a leaflet printed giving information and raising awareness – which you can download here.

Making Sensitive Sites for Wildlife 

We lobbied the local council to change the dog control by-laws so now Paekākāriki Beach from Ames St south is a Sensitive Site for Wildlife and dogs must be on a lead year round.

Here is the link to the sensitive site bylaw.

Finding kororā footprints 

From September to December we do footprint walks on sandy beaches early morning when the tide is low, so we know where and when kororā are coming ashore. Did you know kororā footprints are nearly always in a straight line in and out from the sea?

A day in the life of Jo and Rua

We work with Rua, the penguin detector dog, and his owner Jo from DabChickNZ who are very skilled at sniffing out kororā burrows along our coast. Read more here about a day in the life of Jo and Rua.

Jo and Rua offer professional conservation services to find kiwi, penguin and other seabird burrows around Aotearoa/New Zealand and the Rekohu-Wharekauri/Chatham Islands. See their Facebook page.

Advocating for kororā around NZ

We talk to experts, researchers, Penguin Trusts, community groups, and all the people who work with kororā around New Zealand to understand more about these precious seabirds and how we can protect them. 

See more here about these hard working groups.

Look for signs and keep dogs on leash

• Please look out for signage about kororā and keep your dog on a lead when in sensitive areas.

• Have a friendly talk to others about keeping their dogs under control. Some suggested wording:

“Excuse me, did you know this area is special because kororā come ashore? Did you know dogs are attracted to penguins because of their smell and there have been penguins killed by dogs on this beach – could you please put your dog on a lead here, or go to the section of the beach where dogs are allowed off-lead”?

• Report any sightings of dead or injured birds.
  Phone DOC 0800 362 468 or a local veterinary clinic.
  

Seen a scruffy looking Korora?

Please leave him or her alone – usually scruffy birds are simply moulting.

Around February/March kororā moult all their feathers at once and cannot go to sea for about 10 days during this time.

(Photo by Kimberley Collins)

Build a nest box 

Build a nest box – here is the link to DOC’s instructions.

Contact us for information about where to place them.  Biodiversity.kapiti@gmail.com

Nest boxes – made by the MENZ shed are available to conservation groups and property owners where penguins are nesting.

Get trapping  

Get trapping – here is the link to DOC’s info.

And to local Rat Pack groups.

Predator Free Paekakariki: https://www.trap.nz/project/32823/info

Pukerua Bay Predator Free: https://www.naturespace.org.nz/groups/predator-free-pukerua-bay

Join a group and plant trees  

There are many groups on the Kāpiti Coast planting trees to protect waterways, wetlands and fragile dunes. These plantings provide food sources and habitat for the birds of the forest and seashore. See some groups to join here.

Where can I see Kororā? 

There are many places around New Zealand where you can view kororā – little penguins without disturbing them. Add a visit to one of these special places when you are next travelling around our country. See here for details.