Breeding of an Island-endemic Bird: the New Zealand Whitehead Mohorn albicilla; Pachycephalinae

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Abstract
McLean, I.G. & Gill B.J. (1988). Breeding of an island-endemic bird: the New Zealand Whitehead Mohorn albicilla; Pachycephalinae. Emu 88, 177–182. We document breeding behaviour, timing of breeding, details of the nest site, clutch size, the incubation and nestling periods, numbers of breeding attempts, and seasonal breeding success, for individually marked Whiteheads on Little Barrier Island, New Zealand. Whiteheads bred in groups ranging in size from 2 to 8. Incubation was initiated from late September until late December. Productivity of groups was low (1.38 and 0.73 chicks were fledged per group per season in two years). Few groups laid two clutches in a season, Parental care was extended until the end of winter (8–9 months). Whiteheads exhibited typical characteristics of island-endemic bird species, and also of birds that are constrained to breed co-operatively. Comparisons are drawn with related species.