Shore plover
Distribution
Distribution
------------

Although this species was historically found only on the New Zealand coast, [subfossil](/wiki/Subfossil "Subfossil") shore plover bones have been recovered from roosts of the extinct [laughing owl](/wiki/Laughing_owl "Laughing owl") near rivers many kilometres inland. [Cook's second expedition](/wiki/Second_voyage_of_James_Cook "Second voyage of James Cook") collected them from opposite ends of the [South Island](/wiki/South_Island "South Island"), in [Fiordland](/wiki/Fiordland "Fiordland") and the [Marlborough Sounds](/wiki/Marlborough_Sounds "Marlborough Sounds"). There are 19th century reports of shore plovers from the South Island and several parts of the North Island, but by the 1870s they had vanished from the mainland, surviving only on the [Chatham Islands](/wiki/Chatham_Islands "Chatham Islands"). Introduced predators such as [feral cats](/wiki/Cats_in_New_Zealand "Cats in New Zealand") and [Norway rats](/wiki/Brown_rat "Brown rat") were the main culprits.


Are there any conservation efforts underway to protect shore plover habitats?