23/06/2026
If you’ve ever walked the tracks with us at Kaikoura Wilderness Experience or around Puhi Peaks Station, you’ll know our kakaruwai / South Island robins are absolute characters. They adore following us around, bounding up to check out our boots, and eagerly waiting to see if we'll stir up a tasty insect meal. We absolutely cherish how inquisitive and friendly they are!
But a fascinating study shared by Predator Free New Zealand Trust hits incredibly close to home. Researchers compared the personalities of robins living on predator-free Motuara Island with mainland robins right here in our Kaikoura backyard (specifically looking at birds in Kowhai Bush and Waimangarara Bush).
The study looked at "avian audacity"—testing how brave individual robins were when approaching a researcher to get a snack of mealworms.
The findings are a brilliant look into how wild animals adapt:
The Island Birds: On predator-free Motuara Island, the robins were significantly bolder, swaggering right up to the researchers without hesitation.
Our Kaikoura Birds: On the mainland, where introduced mammals are a constant threat, our robins were much more cautious and took longer to approach.
The Fast Sn**ch: Interestingly, the study found that once the Kaikoura robins actually decided to approach, they cleared away the food much faster than the island birds. On the mainland, lingering too long is dangerous, so they've learned to grab and go!
It turns out that constant pressure from pests like rats, stoats, and possums actively selects for shyer, more risk-averse behaviours. In a world with predators, being too fearless is unfortunately penalised, meaning our mainland robins have to dial back their famous charm just to survive.
This is exactly why the intensive predator control and biodiversity conservation work we do out here on the station is so vital. By keeping pest numbers low, we're protecting a safe haven where our native wildlife can thrive in balance—and where a robin can live its best, boldest life.
Next time you’re out here and a little kakaruwai hops down to inspect your boots, give them a quiet thank you for being brave!
👉 Read the full research breakdown via Predator Free NZ here: https://predatorfreenz.org/research/are-robins-losing-their-personalities/
🔬 For those who love to delve into the science, you can read the full peer-reviewed study in the New Zealand Journal of Zoology here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03014223.2023.2255165
