The Life Of A Whio

Habits

• The males can live for 12 years while the female lives shorter.
• Male whio fight against other males for the female whio.
• they like to eat caddiasflys, mayflys and stoneflys. They also like to eat larvae too.

Habitat

• They like to live near river banks and fast flowing water.
• They prefer to live by high water because it's easier for them to swim in.
• during the day you would find them in caves, log piles or amongst plants.
• whio like to live in clean, clear water.
• they are spotted in forested hills and mountainous country.

Threats

• Threats are habitat loss to the whio with poor riverside management and reduced water.
• there's different water flow because of the hydro-electric power, which makes it unsuitable for the blue ducks to swim in.
• stoats are a big danger to the female whio nesting. they attack the female and steal the eggs and take the young ducklings from the river edge.

Threats

• Threats are habitat loss to the whio with poor riverside management and reduced water.
• there's different water flow because of the hydro-electric power, which makes it unsuitable for the blue ducks to swim in.
• stoats are a big danger to the female whio nesting. they attack the female and steal the eggs and take the young ducklings from the river edge.

Appearance

• whio have webbed feet to help them swim in the fast flowing water.
• they can reach a length of 530mm long.
• they have an upper bill which has a thick fleshy lip that over laps the lower bill.
• the males make a distinctive high pitch sound to call to the female.
• they molt during December through to may.

Young

• whio nest between august and October.
• they lay 4-9 creamy white eggs.
• the female sits on her eggs for 35 days and then the chicks can fly when they are 70 days old.
• they make their nests out of twigs and grass and are found in caves and under river sides.
• the male duck guards the female duck while shes sitting on her egss.

What is being done to help

• Rangers put stoat traps along the walking track by the river to help the nesting whio.
• the use of 1080 is helping get rid of rats, possums and stoats who are harming the whio.