3 New Zealand Native Predators That Hunt And Control Invasive Species

[@thehangmansdaughter1120]

There's a breeding pair of Tui in my backyard. They've come back three years in a row now. They can be quite aggressive, chasing away the starlings, but they seem okay with the bellbirds and fantails. Unfortunately they've taken to teasing my cat, dive bombing him while he sleeps. He has no interest in chasing them, he's too lazy for that, but they love teasing him.

[@duneydan7993]

Impressive fact about European Starlings. Near where I live there is a patch of wood called the Starling Wood. The story goes that one year, there were a lot of starlings, so much that they started eating the crops. Every night they would sleep in the trees of a small patch of wood. Due to their great numbers, the villagers knew scaring them or shooting them wouldn't be enough. So one day they decided that best way to get them all was to blow up the patch of woods when they were sleeping. They did it with help from the army and the starlings were gone! It's an old story but hey, that wouldn't surprise me.

[@soko4710]

An honourable mention in this video could have been the North Island Saddleback, because there is a video of one of those birds killing and partially eating a house mouse, which is very interesting because the saddleback is mostly an insect-eater.

[@lucassundman4316]

I live in New Zealand, a couple years ago my work moved out to s new subdivision (that was mostly farmland with a little bit of bush behind) and there was a pair of new zealand falcon that lived there but as more and more businesses got built more traffic came and they both ended road kill with in 2 years or moving here, really sad if you ask me. It's seems funny to me the our native eel is endangered i know of alot or creeks that are mostly populated with them, I remember my older brother teaching me how to make a hand line so he could so me how to catch and smoke them, I personally know of 3 different waterways that have grate grandma eels 40 + years old (and i dont even go eeling anymore) and big enough to pull a full grown duck under the water, so I wonder if I live around a disproportionate area for them or if the true numbers aren't really known

[@unstoppableExodia]

That’s really sad

[@Trajan2401]

I don't like eating eels much but I remember when I was young we used to use an egg wrapped in some material then break it and then put it in the creek and come back later the eels fangs get caught in the material.Some of the eels were huge the size of your arm even leg looked more like grey anacondas

[@rohanplantboyjames6812]

My days of NZ eeling are sadly over too. I always dreamed of teaching my kids how to catch eels. Sady I was never able to accomplish that goal.

[@cherepaha3]

Is new Zealand only for those who are willing to inject themselves every 3 months?

[@gandalfandferg280]

we have two species, the shortfin is less threatened. The longfin populations can be high in some areas but nationwide their numbers have declined significantly.

[@Rodiacreed]

I like these sort of videos, well done covering these invasive species and the native predators trying to control them

[@bonesawmcgraw9728]

Another excellent video as always!

[@TsukiCove]

Thanks i appreciate it :)

[@peteacher52]

(From the Bay of Islands) Tui are large often aggressive birds and we frequently see them, in breeding season, vigorously escorting other birds out of "their" patch, from sparrows to mynahs. They are athletic and even nimble sparrows are hard pressed to escape. Blackbirds are the most numerous birds in NZ because they inhabit all parts of the country right up to the snow line while other invasives limit their range to within human disturbance.

[@benjamingraafhuis5822]

same i've seen this I comment it to I was walking then a sparrow flew turned around tried to dodge the Tui but it grabbed it like a hawk then stabbed it through the neck going into the head then flew of and the sparrow flew a couple feet and then died very disturbing so yeah I think thats interesting and I always see tui chase down sparrow now and they don't catch very much but the do chase for a good 200 m sometimes but yeah it's cool having the tui in my garden i knew they were aggressive birds but did think they would kill so much

[@paulg3336]

I may have commented this before, but I recently had a Tui chase a Mynah at full speed into a closed window , turning away at the last instant (within 30cm). It seemed to be a deliberate tactic. The trajectory was directly towards where I was sitting and I could see the Tui "herding" the Mynah into a straight path like a sheep dog. The Mynah survived the collision I know this Tui - I refer to him as The Evil Tui - he is very territorial

[@myresponsesarelimited7895]

Wouldn't have a kowhai tree would you?...

[@grantbuchan4147]

Another good one would be the Weka, which was seen earlier the video. While flightless they are known to prey on mammals, I've seen one aggressively chasing a stoat.

[@urinalbushrat]

They are awesome for chasing and eating rats as well. The ones around here will stand their ground with adult cats and seem to sort of have a ceasefire sorted out with them.

[@0Vegeta0]

i've seen one stomping a rabbit

[@gaius_enceladus]

I'm surprised you didn't mention the possum as one of the pests in NZ. It's one of our worst invasive species. Then again, it's possible that no native species prey on it. We've had some success in cutting back their numbers via poison-traps and some hunting.

[@adrianagius7969]

Thanks Tsuki for reminding of the lovely New Zealand. Made a few small donations.

[@iallso1]

I worked for the bio-security team of Environment Canterbury and while hares were definitely considered a pest species, because of competing with sheep in pasture, but Kia are found in alpine areas, in relatively small numbers, 3000 to 7000 only, so I wouldn't expect kia to take many hares. Likewise starlings don't eat nectar, which is a primary food source for both tui and Bellbird, and they seem to eat different fruits. Again the falcon is low in numbers so wouldn't take many starlings.

[@0Vegeta0]

yea this vid is BS

[@rl9217]

In the spirit realm: Haast Eagle: You became the predatory bird you were always meant to be! Kea: But how’d you know I could? Haast Eagle: On the first day we met, I saw the future of vicious birds! (Cuts to a Kea attacking a sheep) Haast Eagle: And the past! (Cuts to a Haast Eagle attacking a moa)

[@ekaitzjuradoenciso2055]

And the future! (Cuts to a gigant theropod-like Parrot eating a cow)

[@NotRuyaki]

Tsuki is one of the best youtubers, his videos are entertaining and informative

[@robertfletcher3421]

Another great video thank you so much, Tsuki.

[@Fred-rj3er]

Not just re this vid, but re your chanel. WOW! Simply WOW! So much amazing info. Well spoken and written! Thank you so much for the info and enjoyment Keep up the amazing vids.

[@marcushendriksen8415]

Eels are so cute! And smart! My dad and I laid a trap for them and came back to find the bait gone, but the trap itself looking strangely untouched

[@ianharbjorn]

I hope the future generations could see more of these in the wild ❤🙏

[@kinneyshoes1]

🤣 Those boxing hares are hilarious

[@SageRosemaryTime]

One study suggested that the New Zealand Eel doesn't breed until 90 years of age ! People could be employed all over the world to take out invasive species full time especially in NZ and places like Florida in the USA where almost anything can survive in fertile Nature.

[@BrackusOG]

most underrated animal channel i love U tsuki

[@Canine15]

Kea’s are so cool and interesting

[@TheEpicLeopardSeal]

The Dinosaurs STILL have a chance in life. But if you see an overgrown Chicken, just leave it alone

[@Lukegames197]

Cool love these sort of videos

[@bunnylova]

This is good channel for animal lovers it puts u in the know!

[@Lowlandlord]

My parrot Rocco, who is sitting on my shoulder right now and watching along, is named after Sirocco, the Kakapo made famous by Stephen Fry. He's not a fan of the falcon, but curious about the Kea, mostly he was napping though, he is quite lazy.

[@boomertuxx]

lol I saw the Sirocco video the other day. Very up close and personal ROFL

[@RonZhang]

7:51 POV You’re a camera going to get eaten by a Kakapo

[@aviendha1154]

I honestly couldn’t think of any predators other than Kea…

[@KwikWon01]

Native halks are up there too

[@stevenelbert8989]

Do you think if the hast eagle was still alive today it would hunt any invasive species in new zealand since it was the largest predator in the islands before humans arrived

[@falkkiwiben]

This is the reason I think it would be great if we introduced an Eagle to New Zealand, or at least experiment with it. Native fauna is very well adapted to keep away from eagles, so they wouldn't cause major damage to them. Also Eagles don't breed like rabits eh, so even if shit hit the fan they would be easy to relocate. If anyone has any thoughts on this please leave them, I'm really not an expert I'm probobly missing something

[@angusmcdonald1223]

@@falkkiwiben God no, it would wipe out our swamp harriers, the swamp harrier only arrived in NZ after the haast eagle was made extinct by the Maori. Also, native fauna wouldn't be adapted to such a thing anymore since the eagle has been extinct for centuries now and there is a large difference between eagle species in the way they hunt even if our natives were adapted to Haast eagle.

[@Juleka-and-roaar]

even the birds are fighting!

[@alisterblackrhyker8440]

I was hoping you were gonna talk about the invasive weasels and things like it? Sad I was hoping something was kicking their butts! Hopefully they get the genetic tool thing ready that can make them infertile I can’t remember the name ‘crispr’? It would benefit so many native species!

[@soko4710]

New Zealand falcons kill weasels and stoats sometimes, and I recently read in a Facebook group that a guy once saw a pair of Weka attacking a stoat together by pecking its eyes.

[@noelchignell1048]

The genetic tool is a gene drive which is created using crispr and this is the only technique that offers the possibility of completely eliminating pests such as stoats but bizarrely it's illegal to research this technology in New Zealand

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

I'd love to see a video with of invasive species that humans can eat to control (or soemthing like that)

[@vanzikky]

Go for it. The Romans ate mice, Maori ate rats, trappers ate possums, fill your basket 😊

[@danharvey3096]

With the global recession we are already in, likely to become a crippling one this year some time. I'm going to get a hunting crossbow & hunt me some Canadian Geese. If there's one animal at the moment in huge pest nos by the tens of thousands just in Christchurch even, all along the Avon River through the Red Zone & right through the city, even in the CBD, that can be hunted & eaten without a permit, its those sh.tbags. A readily available food source ready for the taking that barely nobody will complain about.. Plan is to marinate & wood smoke them, put slices through a food dehydrator, & turn them into goose jerky to be vacuum packed, or just eat as needed. I imagine it would taste pretty gamey but be full of protein, & quite alot of meat on those bones if you look at them, far more than on ducks..

[@peterjones819]

A parrot that eats sheep! Now I've seen everything!

[@craigy90]

Very interesting thanks. Please ballance this out though. The Kea is an alpine parrot, it is not going to make a significant difference in other parts of NZ.

[@nicolaverzeletti1684]

1. Could brown hares invade Easter Island, since there is a lot of grass? 2. Do fur seals hunt trouts in the sea? 3. Could the leopard seal be benefic? 4. How do we extirpate cats from the southern island? 5. What shark species can swim in the rivers to control invasive species?

[@Z3r0kiryu]

What's the deal with pukekos like they're everywhere but they're literally just blue chickens. How are they not extinct.

[@tankerspam5884]

Huge major missed factor. Large, large swathes of the country were burned or cut down to make way for farms, destroying millions of acres of native bush, being the cause of a lot of loss of habitat. Luckily this is being undone in many areas.

[@blake-green]

Yep, and in these regenerated areas the native birds thrive. Problem species like rabbits, magpies and many of the common birds seem to just disappear.

[@blake-green]

And that large destruction of forests had also made it possible for other competitive species like Plovers to establish.

[@simonreij6668]

sorry but where did you get this information? I'm pretty sure rabbits are a way bigger problem than hares and i doubt kea do much to either of them. i also seriously doubt longfin eels do much to brown trout. hi from nz

[@jakeholland8083]

I don't think it was the biggest pests of NZ. I'm a bit curious where the Kea feeding on Hares idea has come from. I'd expect it's an anomaly

[@Hanguanjun68]

My fav parrot was green winged macaw.. now its kea

[@aviendha1154]

I’ve never actually seen a Starling in NZ. The most common birds are Tui, black birds, Thrush and sparrows.

[@Stambo59]

I think it depends on where you are, here in Northland I see hundreds. Didn't realise they were such a pest, time for some pest control.

[@simonreij6668]

heaps of starlings in Canterbury

[@williamwallace9944]

@@simonreij6668 yeah I've seen swarms of them around Christchurch countless times

[@blake-green]

Starlings are extremely common in urban areas, everywhere north and south, but much more in the south. You generally hear them more than you see them.

[@jakeholland8083]

Starlings are extremely common throughout NZ: Unless you're in deeply forested areas, they're probably more common than the anything on the list you've provided

[@benjaminthomas1321]

Dam I have held a couple of nzs native felcons in my life and I didn’t know they were so rear considering a lot of the farms I have worked on have had a breeding pair on them

[@Rudyn_nature]

Wekas hunts rodent, and there were even sightings that they hunt young rabbits and chase stoats away.

[@samuellatu3123]

Being a New Zealand Maori using the kea is quite inaccurate because they don’t kill sheep I will know this cause I live on a farm with 3 kea and never once have I seen them kill a sheep but I have seen keas kill rabbits and break in to steal food.

[@Adsjabo]

I think the initial fear was more that they went for lambs back in the day. Then the fear got into the farmers and they went out of their way to try hunt them to extinction

[@jakeholland8083]

It was more common in the early days of highcountry farming. During the latter part of the twentieth century, there were a lot of doubts about these claims, until video evidence of Kea feeding on live sheep was recorded

[@fletcherhamilton3177]

OK those settlers did look hella cool . . .

[@Sup_AmAwsome]

Lol I love how many of the pic were from my home town

[@WisdomWealthMotivation]

I know that Hares are considered Pest/Invasive here, but Brown Trout are actually protected in New Zealand, and nothing exactly is 'controversial' about it, not here anyway. Therefore they're obviously not considered Invasive, or pests, in a legal sense, you might want to do a bit more research into that next time instead of calling any introduced species 'invasive'. Longfin Eels, forever in a day, have fed on the Galaxids and Koura, like the Trout. Also, the images depicted in your video would probably be quite misleading to your claim about 'eels will take down a few Brown Trout a night' or whatever, because you showed clips of backcountry South Island Trout rivers where the fish are actually quite few and far between, but they're enormous. I have fly fished backcountry streams in the North Island and caught Rainbows with large eel bites in them, I can tell you no Eel would be able to get their mouth around a Trout over 3 pounds, which is small in NZ. The eels would certainly eat juvenile 'fingerling' Trout though. The main difference between Trout and other *actually considered* invasive fish in NZ is that they can't breed prolifically, they like the native galaxid fish are the first to perish when invaders come by, as they need running water to spawn, it needs to be a specific temperature, it needs to be cold, etc. I have a lake near my house that is really bad quality because it has pretty much every invasive fish and weed known to be in the country residing in it, I regularly catch Perch and Rudd on my fly rod, and I take them home and bin them. Trout and galaxids are non-existent in the lake because of all the other fish, but I have seen long and shortfin eels, the shortfins being very numerous.

[@jakeholland8083]

I didn't read all your comment. Brown Trout *are* considered pests by many New Zealanders, myself included. Legally-speaking, they're still protected, but so are Mallards

[@WisdomWealthMotivation]

@@jakeholland8083 Okay, why exactly would you say Brown Trout are pestly? Indeed they are still protected, for many reasons. If you have ever been to Taupō, or to a lesser extent, Rotorua, especially in the wintertime, it would be evident why. I would be quite interested to hear your response to the question. Yours sincerely, Currently fly fishing the local lake, catching and binning Perch and Rudd as they are considered invasive for visually evident reasons, as the lake is a complete shitpond as a result of their introduction.

[@kotukuwhakapiko467]

Kea maybe ate Moa(an extinct ostrich type) that's my theory on why they eat sheep etc now....

[@KokkiePiet]

I have seen really big eels in NZ when I visited, late in the evening, think it was lake Robert

[@nicolamimus]

Do a top 5 video of animals that both mommy and daddy are caring for their young for example geese swans ducks ostrich and other birds

[@martykitson3442]

interesting how many invasive predators are not seen by native predators as prey but i guess if they were seen as prey right away they wouldn't become invasives

[@amazingdoorbob5458]

Most older predators get used to hunting certain prey items, usually leaving new species alone, younger ones will usually eat whatever they can catch though, that's why it usually takes a few generations for native predators to eat them

[@Just_shush_now]

What a lot of people that don’t understand is that if you allow your cat to roam around freely then it’s a stray… these pets are one of the biggest reason for the decline in bird species.

[@JubJub817]

It's actually stoats ferrets and possums that cause more harm.

[@jakeholland8083]

JubJub, perhaps if you *combine* the impacts of stoats, ferrets, possums and rats, you might be correct. In any case, cats are a very major threat to many native species in NZ and throughout the world

[@Just_shush_now]

@@JubJub817 that’s untrue… plus they are native animals and a stoat, a ferret and a ‘opossum’ aren’t gonna be fed at home as well plus a ‘opossum’ is more of a pest to us then nature. Stoats only live around 18 months on average, plus their survival rate isn’t massive. They are also threatened by cats due to their size. Ferrets and stoats are not usually founds in cities, they are literally just wild animals and are natural so don’t actually negatively affect biodiversity… unlike cats who effect biodiversity in both urban and rural areas. Cats kill around 1-4 billion birds and 6-20 million mammals a year… that’s something that needs to be changed. Unless you live in Australia you won’t have to worry about the possum… 💀

[@JubJub817]

@@Just_shush_now Don't make a pass for stoats, ferrets and possums they do more damage than you think and they are not native to NZ. Dogs also are a problem killing more Kiwi than any other pest, the owners need to be held accountable and prosecuted.

[@JubJub817]

@@jakeholland8083 I'm not so bloody sure about that where did you get those stats?

[@Trajan2401]

To think NZ used to have the biggest eagle and bird ever both extinct now the Haast eagle and Moa

[@raphlvlogs271]

rabbits will probably be even more invasive that hares

[@klaasdeboer8106]

I am wondering what would happen if someone let loose a flock of Keas in Europe.

[@jasonchui111]

Cats is like one of the top invasive species in nz, dispatching every out door cats (feral or domestic) should be every new Zealanders mission to safe guard native birds, reptile and insects. Indoor pet cats is fine BTW, but as soon as they step our doors is free game for all.

[@jasonchui111]

@@lafunk1978 they maybe good hunters but humans are the top hunters. I prey on them.

[@jarrodturner2041]

@@lafunk1978too good at dying from sodium fluroacetate poisoning

[@DrRiddlez2015]

@@lafunk1978 Exactly...."invasive species " has been happening for millions of years. Either adapt or perish.

[@chrisharris1522]

`Cats also prey on rats and mice and other invasive birds, we just need lots of predator free sanctuaries like we do for marine life, NZ will never be like it was before man showed up as long as man remains here but we can save enough of it that it is no longer threatened and we get to enjoy a little of what NZ was once like

[@williamandrews4251]

How far is Tonga from New Zealand?

[@Cheddarwars]

There was a sign that said don’t feed the Keas but people clearly fed it because it came right up to me asking for food

[@highhillsbighogs8728]

You forgot about the morepork have seen one snatch sparrows at night also they like rats and mice

[@vahidhosoda6614]

Isn’t this defined as the resistance hypothesis but doesant always work?

[@baconhairlord40]

Surprisingly theres a lake near my house that has alot of New Zealand longfin eel.

[@amazingaquaticsandexotics3030]

NZ is epic

[@Stambo59]

Correct but don't tell anyone, they will all want to live here. 🙂

[@Victoria-lq6gw]

Starlings are such beautiful birds but there are WAYYYYYY too many here in the US

[@darklight6013]

Surprised of not seing the american crayfish in the list; that pincing MOFOS are almost everywhere...

[@marcushendriksen8415]

We need to start an intensive falcon breeding programme, stat

[@DonnaBarrHerself]

Somebody who tortures an animal for fun by holding it up as it gasps for breath seriously has worms in their head.

[@manapoints9329]

2:43 *Ah yes, the natural UwU*

[@dragonback6075]

A hunter killer parrot..... COOOOOOOOOOOOL 👍

[@evilrooster9960]

You should do one with the most beautiful/most unusual fish that you believe should be noticed and captive bred by the Aquarium trade

[@Mimir_the_wise_]

Do Old Zealand next

[@brucegibbins3792]

Yes. Zealand is a maritime province of The Netherlands.

[@outcast5018]

that eel has one weird birthing habit. surely it cant have offspring so far away

[@kamilstaraszewski7549]

Actually, which was proven by research, most hare boxing occurs between a female and a male.

[@Cy10280]

I didn't know that new Zealand had large predators.

[@atenxra4457]

More ecological destruction brought to you by the Gun Powder Crew 👁

[@canonbehenna612]

Wish that the hasty eagle never went extinct

[@robertsteel3563]

0:13 Why did this confuse me?

[@tiagodutra7939]

The dingoes Hunt rabbits,foxes and geral cats in Austrália.

[@aakritirajbhandari]

Snakehead update 😊

[@MuhaBezUha]

In this video its hare but in the list its hair😂😂😂

[@louisavondart9178]

For every hare there are 500 rabbits. A much bigger problem. You haven't researched this very well.

[@hugoamkreutz2081]

I hardly see any starlings

[@JamesCesarJr.-im7jp]

I see European starlings in my backyard and there,s a nest of them😮😮😮

[@adammoffatt3832]

The south island lakes are full of native eels don't know where they are studying this endangered theory but they certainly aren't endangered in southland there's billions of them.

[@benjamingraafhuis5822]

Not a predator but I've seen Tui kill small bird and always see them chase them down I was walking then a sparrow flew turned around tried to dodge the Tui but it grabbed it like a hawk then stabbed it through the neck going into the head then flew of and the sparrow flew a couple feet and then died very disturbing so yeah I think thats interesting and I always see tui chase down sparrow now and they don't catch very much but the do chase for a good 200 m sometimes

[@StevenHughes-hr5hp]

Parrots are obviously raptors. If they can take down sheep of course they can take down rabbits.

[@stoatsarebetterthanbeavers]

Uhh umm Uhh umm, i will not be accountable for any egg eating, since that would be truly insane to ponder a small British weasel to destroy half the ground birds in New Zealand ;)

[@gandalfandferg280]

you say starling are detrimental because of how numerous they become? Ok but they don't enter native ecosystems or compete with native animals(they're an urban and rural species for the most part). Hares are not controlled by kea. Kea are in very small numbers (Mostly due to farmers killing 150,000 of them) and are only on the south island. Hares bring ferrets as they are a food source for them, and ferrets devistate nesting female kea. Brown trout are still a massive problem and are in no way being controlled by the small numbers of larger longfin eels. New Zealand animals are losing the battle against invaisive animals. Humans have to intervene. Tiny nitpick, in the begining you say NZ lacks predators, we don't or didnt. Weka, kiwi, falcon, eagles, harriers, adzebills, wattlebirds, ducks, fantails, whatever all predate on either insects or lizards or other birds. Insectavores are predators.

[@flightlesslord2688]

Bring back Haast eagle to eat cat. Also they're cool and I wanna see giant eagles in Middle Earth

[@Kurominos1]

haast eagles wouldt even go for a cat ... they hunt giant birds like moas ..and have prob huntet humans too

[@flightlesslord2688]

@@Kurominos1 there was plenty of small moas. And they probably had a somewhat more diverse diet than a single species, even if it was what they mainly preyed on

[@dahlgalai]

Even if these predators still exist and hunt those invasive pests, human should also help them by killing bigger threat such as feral cats, weasels, and other carnivorans

[@fluiditynz]

I've seen a weka chase and kill a norway rat.

[@myresponsesarelimited7895]

Hares down southland big as dog's no sht, gotta swing them over your shoulder by the ears, and they kick you in the bum all the way back ...see a dog right for a few days lol

[@kelvinthecloud5620]

I hate them damn starlings

[@bunnylova]

Used to fking h8 hawks till I found only 5000 left wtaf

[@barkbark2]

i live in NEW.ZELAND

[@desireepaulplummer4386]

Silence is so loud you’re so annoying in big groups we have them up here in Canada

[@roske44551]

hello

[@augustonthefly]

Not all fishermen. I dislike brown trout for the exact reason you talk of in this video. The worst part is that they are put in native waters by the people we are supposed to trust the health of our waters too. Brown trout suck.

[@kevysrandomstuff5835]

Need to ban cats urgently

[@markcepeda8144]

Humans are the most invasive species..( causing ,much problems often)

[@plad3428]

Lol

[@uggali]

Trout has no flavour, the texture reminds me of eel. We dont eat that shit here. Kanae is bomb🤌