A spotless crake has been spotted!

A new addition to Aotea Advocate, Critter of the Month by Ecology Vision

We are pretty excited about this one! This may very well be the ONLY images ever captured of a Pūweto (Spotless Crake) here on Aotea!!!

Pūweto are extremely vulnerable to predation from introduced pests and there are few historical sightings and acoustic recordings, which suggests a very small and delicate population on the island.

When reviewing images from a recent Auckland Council pest-monitoring project camera, there was no mistaking what this was. Nestled within the Kaitoke wetland, this little gem has created much excitement this week.

Big thanks to Kate Clapshaw for keeping a sharp eye to spot this spotless treasure.

If you’re interested in learning more about Pūweto, follow this link; https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/spotless-crake