Why the race to save these precious penguins has become more urgent

Shy and solitary, with its distinctive yellow headband and pale eyes, it is one of the rarest penguins in the world and one of the country’s best-known wildlife species.

For Ngāi Tahu, hoiho is a taonga species closely linked to the health of marine and coastal ecosystems. The bird’s image appears on New Zealand’s $5 note alongside Sir Edmund Hillary, and its decline has become one of the country’s most urgent conservation stories.

In a new twist to the story, a just-published genome analysis shows that hoiho are not a single population, but three distinct subspecies. Without immediate intervention, one of the subspecies could disappear within decades.

when one becomes three

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Today, fewer than 115 breeding pairs of sandpipers remain on mainland New Zealand and Rakiura/Stewart Island.

Our research, conducted with support from Genomics Aotearoa, shows that these continental birds are genetically separated from sub-Antarctic populations and have evolved independently for thousands of years.

For decades, yellow-eyed penguins have been broadly managed in two categories: mainland birds and subantarctic birds from Auckland and the Campbell Islands.

But by sequencing the genomes of 249 penguins across their range, we found that there are actually three distinct lineages, with no migration between them.

Continental birds diverged from southern populations 5,000 to 16,000 years ago, long before humans arrived in New Zealand.

Working with Ngāi Tahu, we propose recognition of three subspecies:

murihimuku horse: mainland horse and rachipur horse

Many Island Horses: Auckland Islands Horse

Island Horse: Campbell Island Horse

Recognizing these three subspecies changes how we think about their conservation.

These groups should now be viewed not as interchangeable groups but as distinct evolutionary lineages, each the result of thousands of years of adaptation to different environments.

Deadly disease leads to decline

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The mainland subspecies is already in crisis. Since 2019, chicks have been dying from a devastating disease called respiratory distress syndrome, which causes severe breathing difficulties, lung damage and high mortality in young birds.

Previous work identified a possible viral cause: a newly discovered gyrovirus circulating among yellow-eyed penguins. Interestingly, the virus is present in all regions, while severe disease appears to be concentrated in mainland birds.

Our analysis suggests there may be a genetic reason for this. We identified certain immune and respiratory genes associated with disease susceptibility, including genes involved in antiviral immune responses.

This does not mean that disease risk is purely genetic. Habitat degradation, climate stress, fishery bycatch, malnutrition and environmental changes all contribute to reduced survival rates.

But it suggests mainland birds may be particularly vulnerable to the virus because of their unique evolutionary history and shrinking population sizes.

Genomic warning signs are already evident. Continental birds have lower genetic diversity and higher inbreeding than southern populations.

Yellow-eyed penguins have long been thought to be endangered, but our results show that the loss of the mainland subspecies is even greater than previously thought.

Their numbers have been declining for decades due to ocean warming, changes in food supplies, fishery interactions, introduced predators and disease. The survival rate of chicks is now extremely low, with less than 20% surviving to adulthood.

Without urgent action, extinction of the northern subspecies within a decade is a reality. Because these penguins are genetically different, losing them means losing thousands of years of unique evolution.

How Haihao was saved

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Our findings have significant implications for conservation management.

One possibility often discussed in endangered species recovery is “genetic rescue”—the introduction of individuals from other populations to increase genetic diversity.

But our results show that the three hoiho subspecies are genetically very different, raising concerns about unintended consequences such as disrupting local adaptation.

This means conservation efforts may not be able to rely on future translocations between subspecies as a simple backup plan. Instead, preventing the extinction of mainland lineages must become a top priority.

This includes enhanced fisheries protections to reduce bycatch, improved predator and habitat management, continued disease surveillance and research, greater investment in chick survival and recovery, and stronger action to address marine ecosystem degradation and climate impacts.

Hoiho are also the Maori taonga species and an important part of southern New Zealand’s wildlife. Their disappearance will cause ecological, cultural and economic losses at the same time.

For many New Zealanders, yellow-eyed penguins feel like a permanent part of the landscape – a species that has been around forever.

But genomics tells us something sobering: Time is rapidly ticking for mainland seahorses. Automated management system

This article was generated from automated news agency feeds without modifications to the text.