Release birds in groups

Overall effectiveness category Unknown effectiveness (limited evidence)
Number of studies: 1
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How is the evidence assessed?

Effectiveness

32%
Certainty

26%
Harms

2%

Calculating overall effectiveness category

Study locations

Key messages

A replicated study from New Zealand found that released black stilts Himantopus novaezelandiae were more likely to move long distances after release if they were released in larger groups.

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

A replicated study of critically endangered black stilt (kaki) Himantopus novaezelandiae releases in South Island, New Zealand, between 1993 and 2005 (van Heezik et al. 2009) found that birds were more likely to move long distances from the release site when released in large groups, compared to birds released in smaller numbers. This study is discussed in more detail in ‘Release captive-bred individuals’ and ‘Release birds as adults or sub-adults, not juveniles’.
Study and other actions tested
Referenced paper
van Heezik Y., Maloney R.F. & Seddon P.J. (2009) Movements of translocated captive-bred and released Critically Endangered kaki (black stilts) Himantopus novaezelandiae and the value of long-term post-release monitoring. Oryx, 43, 639-647.

Please cite as:

Williams, D.R., Child, M.F., Dicks, L.V., Ockendon, N., Pople, R.G., Showler, D.A., Walsh, J.C., zu Ermgassen, E.K.H.J. & Sutherland, W.J. (2020) Bird Conservation. Pages 137-281 in: W.J. Sutherland, L.V. Dicks, S.O. Petrovan & R.K. Smith (eds) What Works in Conservation 2020. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge, UK.

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Bird Conservation

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