Last month we received this juvenile kororā through Kaikōura Wildlife Centre Trust which was found underweight during a monitoring check. Sporting a spectacular downy mullet, we have watched it finalise its moult into feathers and are readying it for release. The little blue penguin colony in Kaikōura is very small and at high risk of disturbance. Adhering to no access signage and keeping dogs away can help minimise additional stress on a species that is already struggling with compromised foraging opportunities.
#kororā #littlebluepenguin #nzbirds #wildliferehabilitation #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

Can you spot this gull's problem? On the right side of the neck, you might notice a gap in the feathers. This tarāpunga has a crop burn: a hole (fistula) that opens up from the digestive tract through the skin. This occurs with thermal and caustic burns and eating hot food such as stolen chips is a likely problem in these scavenging birds. Once the fistula occurs, not only is infection a problem but any future meals fall out of the neck instead of reaching the stomach, leading to weight loss from malnutrition.
Following surgery to correct and close the fistula, this red-billed gull is currently recovering at the hospital. To help prevent this injury, please don't feed gulls and be mindful of dropping hot food on the ground when eating a#tarāpunga##RedBilledGullb#birdsofaotearoao#WildlifeHospitalf#southislandwildlifehospitalfehospital ... See MoreSee Less

Most kea that we receive at the hospital are juveniles as they get up to a lot of mischief while learning about the world. It is less common for an adult, like this one, to come to us. Adults lose the distinctive yellow colouring that juveniles have around the eyes, across the nostrils (cere), and the shading on the beak. Take a look back at our previous kea posts to see the difference.
This individual, known as Hohoro, arrived with a broken beak which necessitated the use of a special material to bind and hold it back together. This is visible in the photo as a lighter colouration at the tip of the beak. Healing went well and they appear to be able to feed themselves despite the injury.
#kea #birdsofaotearoa #nzbirds #WildlifeHospital #southislandwildlifehospital ... See MoreSee Less

We received this kāhu after they were found with a broken leg. On assessment, there was a concern that the nerve function to the foot may have been compromised. Being able to grip carrion, rest on a branch, or grab food while in flight are vitally important aspects of thriving as a bird of prey so permanent nerve damage would not have been an acceptable outcome. Thankfully, after repairing the harrier hawk's fracture, the bird regained an ability to stand on the leg and grip with the foot. This manu has now moved out of the hospital and into a pre-release aviary where they can regain flight strength in a more open space.
This species usually ends up in our care due to being hit by cars while feeding on roadkill. Juveniles are especially prone to injury this way as they are less capable of releasing their grip on their food in time to hop out of the way. Keeping roads free of roadkill can help reduce the risk of carrion eaters meeting the same fate as the animal they came to feed#australasianharrierhawkr#kahu##WildlifeHospitalp#nzbirdsb#southislandwildlifehospitalpital ... See MoreSee Less