04/04/2026
Earlier in the week we picked up this poor wee Kererū, our native New Zealand Wood Pigeon, which had unfortunately fallen victim to window strike.
Of all the Kererū that end up at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital, most end up there because of window strike.
These guys are a rather large bird and when they hit windows they sure do hit with a bang, sometimes even hitting with enough force to break the window. Unfortunately window strikes are becoming much more common, thought in part to be related to the increase in the double glazing of windows. Due to the increase in strength of the glass, fatalities are often more common now too unfortunately.
Kererū that are able to be rehabilitated in our area are fortunate enough to go to wonderful Nik who runs Project Kereru, giving them the absolute best chance they could have ❤️
As a way to help with preventing window strikes, you can purchase window decals directly from Project Kerurū by following this link:
https://www.projectkereru.org.nz/prevent_window_strike
They reflect UV and the birds are able to see the windows and avoid them.
While some may see 'just' a pigeon, these guys are actually our most important seed dispersers!
Since the extinction of the Moa, the Kererū and Parea (Chatham Island Pigeon) are now the only bird species that are big enough to swallow large fruit, such as those of Karaka, Miro, Tawa and Taraire, and disperse the seed over long distances. The disappearance of these birds could be a disaster for the regeneration of our native forests.
If you are considering planting trees to feed the Kererū in your own backyard, Tree Lucerne is useful in the short-term as it flowers prolifically in winter, has nutritious leaves, and grows quickly. Miro, Titoki, Tawa, Fuchsia, Kōwhai, Five-finger, Pate, Pigeonwood, Taraire, Puriri and Wineberry are great long term choices to entice Kerurū also.
If you do come across a Kerurū or any other bird which has fallen victim to window strike, please gently pick the bird up and place inside a dark, ventilated cardboard box somewhere quiet away from children and other animals and get in touch with DOC (if native) and/or your nearest wildlife rehabilitator.
Wishing you all a great long weekend ❤️
