Meyer & Herald Islands (31222)
New Zealand, Australasia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1, D1a
Year of last assessment: 2014
National site name: Meyer & Herald Islands
Central coordinates: Latitude: -29.2462, Longitude: -177.8660
System: marine, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 0 to 123
Area of KBA (km2): 0.3456
Protected area coverage (%): 99.98
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs.
Additional biodiversity: IBA Trigger species: Kermadec (White-faced) Storm Petrel*, Kermadec Petrel, Red-tailed Tropicbird, Grey Noddy (Grey Ternlet), Red-fronted Parakeet. * Recognised as full species in New Zealand (NZ checklist 2010). Seabirds crowd the Meyer Islands and Herald Islands, making the most of all suitable space and habitat. Besides the four trigger species, the following are confirmed breeding or resident on the islands: Black-winged Petrel, Wedge-tailed Shearwater, Kermadec Little Shearwater, Masked (Tasman) Booby, Sooty Tern, Black Noddy, Spot-less Crake, Welcome Swallow, NZ Kingfisher, Blackbird, Starling. Other species recorded: Australasian Harrier, Turnstone, Grey Plover, Asiatic Whimbrel, Wandering Tattler. Great Frigatebirds have become a regular sight over the Meyer and Her-ald Islands (also nearby Raoul Island).
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Coastal/Supratidal | 32 | |
| Marine Intertidal | 32 | |
| Shrubland | 32 | |
| Forest | 5 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Human Disturbance - Yes - Lights on vessels anchored close to the islands pose a threat to birds breeding there. Predation by alien species - No Habitat loss or degradation - No Contamination - No Natural disaster - Yes - Tropical cyclones can strike the Kermadec region and damaging trees growing on the islands and cause considerable erosion of soils.
Additional information
References: Gaskin, C.P. 2012. Seabirds of the Kermadec Region: their natural history and conservation. Science for Conservation 316. Department of Conservation, Wellington. 71p. Imber, M.J. 2005: Status of Kermadec petrels (Pterodroma neglecta) on the Meyer Islets, and prospects for their re-colonisation of Raoul Island, Kermadec Group. Notornis 52: 168–169. Ismar, S.M.H.; Baird, K.A.; Savell, E.; Hauber, M.E. 2010: Patterns of offspring sex-ratio of a re-establishing population of black-winged petrels (Pterodroma nigripennis). Emu 110: 104–108. MacGillivray, J. 1854: Voyage of HMS Herald under the command of Capt. H. Mangles Denham RN, being the private Journal kept by John MacGillivray, Naturalist. Adm. 7/851 and 852. Public Record Office, Kew. 351 p. Merton, D.V. 1970: Kermadec Islands expedition reports: a general account of birdlife. Notornis 17: 147–199. Morrison, K. 1979. Bird observations on North Meyer Islet. Notornis 26: 317. Ortiz-Catedral, L.; Ismar, S.M.H.; Baird, K.A.; Brunton, D.H.; Hauber, M.E. 2009: Recolonization of Raoul Island by Kermadec red-crowned parakeets Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae cyanurus after eradication of invasive predators, Kermadec Islands archipelago, New Zealand. Conservation Evidence 6: 26-30 OSNZ 2010. Checklist of the Birds of New Zealand, Norfolk and Macquarie Islands, and the Ross Dependency Antarctica. Com- 13 piled by the Checklist Committee, Ornithological Society of New Zealand. Te Papa Press Wellington New Zealand. 500p. Sorenson, J.H. 1964: Birds of the Kermadec Islands. Notornis 11: 69–81. Sykes, W.R.; West, C.J.; Beever, J.E.; Fife, A.J. 2000: Kermadec Islands flora: a compilation of modern materials about the flora of the Kermadec Islands. Special edition. Manaaki Whenua Press, Landcare Research, Lincoln. 216 p. Veitch, C.R.; Gaskin, C.P.; Baird, K.A.; Ismar, S.M.H. in press: Changes in bird numbers on Raoul Island, Kermadec Islands, New Zealand, following the eradication of goats, rats, and cats. In Veitch, C.R.; Clout, M.N.; Towns, D.R. (Eds): Proceedings of the Island Invasives: Eradications and Management Conference, 2010, Auckland. IUCN (World Conservation Union), Gland, Switzerland. Veitch, C.R.; Harper, G.A. 1998: Breeding season of Kermadec petrels (Pterodroma neglecta neglecta) at Meyer Islands, Ker-madec Group, New Zealand. Notornis 45: 67–69. Veitch, C.R.; Miskelly, C.M.; Harper, G.A.; Taylor, G.A.; Tennyson, A.J.D. 2004: Birds of the Kermadec Islands, South-west Pacific. Notornis 51: 61–90. Waugh, S.M., Tennyson, A.J.D., Taylor, G.A., Wilson, K-J. 2013. Population sizes of shearwaters (Puffinus spp.) breeding in New Zealand with recommendations for monitoring. Tuhinga 24: 159-204.