The population of the threatened kaki (black stilt) has been boosted in the Mackenzie Basin with the release of 38 young birds in the Tasman River area about a week ago.
The Helicopter Line airlifted the birds to the release site near Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, where Department of Conservation staff awaited their arrival.
The department's biodiversity manager, Dean Nelson, said using the helicopter meant they could transport kaki to harder-to-reach areas, safer for the newly-released birds.
"Our previous release site at the edge of the Tasman River was easier for us to access but it was also bordered with dense matagouri and native scrub. Predators such as ferrets and feral cats hide in the dense scrublands and can easily prey on vulnerable kaki, especially younger birds," he said.
At the new, more open site it was much easier for birds to spot potential predators.
The released kaki, raised at the Captive Breeding Centre in Twizel and at Isaac's Wildlife Trust in Christchurch, would be continually monitored over the summer season.
