Whio (Blue Duck) Habitat Single Sided Wooden Puzzle in Tray
Below information is printed on back of tray for your reference:
Whio require bouldery rivers and streams within forested catchments which provide high water quality, low sediment loadings, stable banks, overhead canopy cover and abundant and diverse invertebrate communities. With such habitat requirements, Whio are key indicators of river system health. The higher the number of breeding pairs of Whio on a given stretch of river, the greater the life supporting capacity of that river. Whio establish exclusive territories along 1-5 km of river. Strong pair bonding results in individual pairs occupying the same stretch of river year after year which they aggressively defend. The Whio have adapted to thrive in one of New Zealand's harshest environments. This environment is prone to catastrophic flood events which can wash away their food source and force them into side stream where they lose the water as their first defence. This unmanageable threat can have an extreme impact on breeding success from one year to the next which has been demonstrated to have had a significant impact on Whio populations throughout the country.