Godwits/kauka are due to depart Canterbury for world’s longest migration, 11,000km non-stop. Will we be ready with a healthy habitat for them to return to?

Over 1,500 bar-tailed godwits/kuaka, a native migratory bird species that summers in Otautahi’s Avon-Heathcote/Ihutai estuary, are due to depart on their annual 11,000km non-stop trip back to Alaska this month. 

The godwit/kauka, is one of 35 migratory bird species that travel to Aotearoa each summer. After flying for 8-10 days without rest, they arrive each September to the rich feeding grounds of the estuary’s wetlands. They forage and relax along the coastline until they have conserved enough energy to return north.

Threats to habitats