Wild Nightlife (PDF version) - Forest and Bird

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Wild nightlife
marina Skinner ventures out after dark to find out
what nature gets up to from dusk to dawn.
A morepork clutches supper – a short-tailed bat – in its claws.
Rod Morris

When humans turn in for the night, many of our wild
creatures are just waking up. We hardly ever see some
of our native animals because they keep very different
hours from us. But break your routine and venture into the bush
or explore the coast at night, and you’ll find a whole lot of nightlife
going on.
it seems odd to us humans, poorly adapted to coping in the
dark, that our wilderness areas can be just as busy at night as
they are in the day, but the night’s cooler temperatures, dampness
and cover from sharp-eyed predators provides ideal conditions for
many native species.
A North Island brown kiwi hunts for freshwater crayfish.
The late bird catches the worm
the kiwi is New Zealand’s best-known nocturnal bird, navigating in
the dark with its excellent senses of smell and touch. You’d expect
it to have large eyes – like owls – but instead it relies on its nostrils
at the end of its bill and well-developed smell centre in the brain.
the kakapo also forages on the ground at night for fruit and
seeds and has a good sense of smell. it is the only nocturnal
parrot in the world – and the only flightless one. it’s also critically
endangered, with just 91 known to exist.
the large eyes of the morepork (ruru) point to their terrific
eyesight. they have large ear holes, too, giving them superb
hearing. they are highly effective night-time predators, flying
silently and sneaking up on wetas and other insects.
some native birds are most active at dawn and dusk, including
weka, kaka and blue ducks, or whio.
many seabirds are nocturnal, and some come ashore after
dark during nesting and build burrows for their chicks. Little blue
penguins also return to land after dark when fewer land predators
are around.
Young female kakapo on Codfish Island.
Rod Morris
Rod Morris
Inky depths
As most fishermen know, many sea creatures are more active
at night than during the day. sea creatures that feed at night
include sandfish, sea urchins, crayfish, sea worms, spider crabs,
seahorses, tube anemones and feather stars and brittle stars –
relatives of starfish.
some fish “slip on their pyjamas” before they turn in for the
night. Pink maomao are a bright “Barbie” shade of pink during the
day, but when the sun sets they rest on the seabed in paler, mottled
nightwear to blend in with their surroundings.
squid sink to the bottom of the ocean during the day,
swimming nearer the surface as night falls to feed on crustaceans
and small fish.
many fish sleep resting on the seabed at night; whales are also
night-time sleepers but they rest on the surface. in the 1840s
european settlers complained about being kept awake at night by
southern right whales blowing in Port Nicholson.
Under the cover of darkness there is a mass migration of
microscopic zooplankton, as billions of them rise from the ocean
depths to feed on phytoplankton. sometimes the night-time
sea surface sparkles from the “fairy lights” of billions of bioluminescent
plankton.
Holy flying bats
New Zealand has two
different types of bat – the
long-tailed and shorttailed
bat. they both use
echo-location to find their
way around in the dark.
Long-tailed bats are active
between dusk and dawn
and venture outside the
forest canopy. the shorttails
wait until it is properly
dark and stick to the forest
canopy, feeding on insects,
fruit and nectar.
Short-tailed bats feed on the ground.
In the undergrowth
Glow worms are the glitterati of the bush, though the less-thanglamorous
reality is that they’re simply the larvae of flies. their bioluminescent
glow attracts small insects, which fly into the larvae’s
sticky threads hanging from cave roofs or underneath damp banks.
the larva pulls in its supper on the line. Female adults keep up
their natural glow to attract a mate.
the mosquito’s whine is not a good omen for a restful night,
and New Zealand has 16 mosquito species, including four that are
introduced. only the females bite humans and other mammals –
the males stick to plant juices.
Glow worms’ sticky threads dangle from a bank.
www.forestandbird.org.nz forest & bird • november 2008 31
Rod Morris Rod Morris

Rod Morris
Rod Morris
Rod Morris
A Hochstetter’s giant land snail sucks up an earthworm.
Powelliphanta snails are not easy to find in the bush, despite
their massive dimensions – their shells are about nine centimetres
in diameter and they weigh up to 90 grams, the same as a female
tui. the carnivorous snails live under leaf litter or logs and are on
the move at night looking for earthworms and slugs to snack on.
many spiders are active at night, with the orb-web spider
spinning and repairing its necklace-like web in the dark, and water
spiders catching night-flying insects.
most cockroaches sprung indoors when a light is turned on at
night are introduced species, but New Zealand also has about 25
native cockroaches, which are also nocturnal and are even found in
alpine areas.
Crickets, our large puriri moths and huhu beetles and of course
our weta species are also all native creatures with a busy nightlife.
A Puriri moth in Pureora forest.
on the hop
All four of New Zealand’s native frog species are nocturnal and
hide under rocks, logs and plants during the day. they’re not so
fond of water as introduced frogs, and three of the species stick to
the forests. Critically endangered Archey’s frogs can climb several
metres into trees at night to forage.
A male Archey’s frog carries froglets on its back.
Creeping about
many skinks and geckos are nocturnal or active at dusk and dawn.
they were easy meals for night-feeding kiore and, later, europeanintroduced
rats and mice, and many skinks and geckos have
become extinct or are in serious decline.
tuatara are in a reptile class of their own. they feed on insects,
lizards and frogs at night but sometimes come out of their burrows
during the day to bask in the sun.
In the shallows
many native freshwater fish are nocturnal, probably to avoid birds
such as shags and herons. Long-finned and short-finned eels
usually hide under rocks or riverbanks during the day and come out
at night to hunt small fish, snails and insect larvae using their good
sense of smell. Freshwater crayfish, or koura, which live in our
lakes and streams, also come out at night to feed.
out for the evening
many native plants put on their best show at night to attract the
moths and other insects that pollinate them. New Zealand has
relatively few native day-flying butterflies, moths and bees, so many
New Zealand plants have evolved strong scents to attract nightflying
moths. mahoe, the easter orchid and some pittosporums
have small flowers that are strongly perfumed at night.
night prowlers
Like any master criminal, the most devastating introduced pests
– possums, rats, stoats, weasels, ferrets and cats – operate under
cover of darkness. they have wiped out entire species during their
colonisation of New Zealand, and still endanger many native birds
and invertebrates. even the once-popular night-time garden visitor,
the hedgehog, is no longer considered endearing and harmless,
with studies showing they eat lizards and native bird eggs on their
nocturnal jaunts.
32 forest & bird • november 2008 www.forestandbird.org.nz
Rod Morris

Night wonderland
It’s happy hour at Wellington’s Karori Wildlife sanctuary.
As dusk falls, dozens of kaka are toasting each other with
sugar water at the bird feeder. they’ll be back at dawn for
another shot of the syrup that’s an acceptable alternative to
the nectar they would slurp in the wild.
squawking kaka are the rowdiest creatures visitors hear on
a night tour. the dusk songs of hihi, tui and grey warblers are
followed by hooting moreporks. We’re not lucky enough to see
a kiwi but the shrill call of a male tells us they’re out on this
rainy night.
A large female tuatara sits outside her burrow for as long
as we care to admire her, but it is too wet for us to venture
into the old gold mine where cave wetas hang out.
the highlight of the night
tour is venturing through
a glow worm wonderland.
their fairy lights twinkle
deep into the bush beside
the track. there’s something
slightly spooky but completely
magical about venturing into
the forest at night.
Sanctuary By Night tours
are held at Karori Wildlife
Sanctuary every night except
Christmas Day; tours start 30
minutes before sunset,
$55 adults, $30 children, www.sanctuary.org.nz
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society
CONSERVATION CALENDAR 2009
Conservation Calendar
New Zealand
Conservation Calendar
Stunning photos of New Zealand’s native ora and fauna taken
by some our leading nature photographers. Envelope supplied;
weight less than 200 gms for economical posting.
$ 15 99
ROYAL FOREST AND BIRD PROTECTION SOCIETY | 2009
By purchasing this calendar you are contributing to conservation work in New Zealand
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Nocturnal wanderings
eNtomoLoGist and Forest & Bird President Peter
maddison gathers his fellow night walkers about an hour
before dusk to inspect the insect life. Before dark they will
usually see a few ants crawling on tree trunks or the odd
beetle under leaf litter.
But once dusk falls, the scene changes, as spiders, slugs,
tiny snails and cockroaches stretch their legs after a hard
day’s rest.
As it gets darker, tree wetas rise from their daytime beds
in tree holes and climb to the young leaves and flowers for a
midnight feast.
Looper caterpillars emerge from leaf litter and scale the
kawakawa bushes to leave their signature holes in the leaves.
Crane flies – which look
like winged daddy longlegs –
and other insects love humid
nights, and they’re even
happier if it rains.
Flat worms – some brilliant
blue or wild yellow and up to
12 centimetres long – seek
out tiny insects to eat. slaters,
or woodlice, ferret in leaf
debris.
Peter maddison’s Auckland
night walks are $5 adults
and children. To book,
contact Kay Lindley, 09 837 8820 or kay@healthwest.co.nz
Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society
NEW ZEALAND
CONSERVATION DIARY 2009
Gentianella sp., Kahurangi National Park (Kay Jackson)
This beautifully produced diary includes photographs of New
Zealand landscapes, plants and wildlife. It includes ‘week to view’
pages and is spiral bound so it will lie at when open.
$ 24 99
includes post
and packaging
Both calendar and diary are available now. Send orders with cheque and delivery details to:
Craig Potton Publishing, PO Box 555, Nelson. Phone 03-548-9009. Fax 03-548-9456.
Email: info@cpp.co.nz. To order by credit card, refer to the Forest and Bird website: www.forestandbird.org.nz
www.forestandbird.org.nz forest & bird • november 2008 33
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Rod Morris