Researchers studying kārearea – New Zealand falcon – in the North and South Island were surprised to find a clear difference in the birds’ sizes.
Massey University’s Professor Steven Trewick led the study, which examined body sizes and neutral genetic markers for Falco novaeseelandiae – New Zealand’s only surviving endemic raptor species. They found the South Island birds were smaller than their northern counterparts, giving the authors reason to suspect the two are separate subspecies.
They found the South Island birds were smaller than their northern counterparts, giving the authors reason to suspect the two are separate subspecies.
Several media outlets reported the research, including:
Newshub: Native falcon subspecies’ discovered
NZ Herald: Then there were two: Falcon mystery solved
Stuff.co.nz: Native falcon appears to be separated into North and South Island subspecies
Sciblogs.co.nz: NZ native falcon is actually two types of bird