This is a vastly expanded version of Julian Fitter's 2010 work on the wildlife of New Zealand. It benefits from increased coverage and updated information on the status of species, especially those at risk.
It is remarkable that in a pocket-sized volume that is clearly a field guide, so much can be included on such a wide range of organisms that comprise the flora and fauna of the country. Furthermore, photographs are included for every species covered, a significant achievement in and of itself.
In the author's introductory comments many issues are discussed, including the swamping of New Zealand life forms with alien species, going back to the first Maori settlers and culminating with later European invaders. There were no native land predators in New Zealand, and faced with previously unknown threats from introduced animals such as rats, stoats, weasels, goats, pigs, cats and others, endemic species were eradicated - lost to the world forever. This situation continues to the present day, although its effects are being mitigated in many areas by various means, and New Zealand has become a leading authority in the removal of feral predators from islands where native wildlife is in serious jeopardy of extinction.
Similar destruction of native forests and grasslands has occurred with the introduction of species from abroad that outcompete indigenous trees and plants, and the conversion of vast swatches of land to sheep farming and agriculture.
It is bitterly ironic that a small country, so isolated by its remoteness, has suffered so greatly in the diminution of the life forms that made it unique.
In the section on birds, Fitter even breaks down the species by native and introduced groups. Native passerines, for example are represented by seventeen species and introduced species by fifteen, quite staggering really. The section on game birds reveals that every one is brought in from elsewhere with names like California Quail and Indian Peafowl, imposed on a landscape where none existed before.
Mammals present an even more dire picture. There are only two native land mammals in New Zealand, both bats, whereas there is a dizzying array of introduced mammalian predators of birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Fitter never shies away from commenting on this sad state of affairs, in addition to filling his principal role of offering a comprehensive field guide. For example, under Introduced/Alien Land Mammals, he says, "....... they have thrived and caused widespread ecological and environmental damage".
You will benefit greatly from excellent coverage of so many taxa from birds to liverworts and lichens! But do not hesitate to read the cautionary notes and applaud New Zealand's efforts to return some of its territory to its natural state.
The book ends with a list of great places to visit. Go! Enjoy! Experience nature - and be sure to tuck this field guide into your pocket when you do.
Wildlife of New Zealand - A Field Guide Fully Revised and Expanded - Princeton University Press
Author: Julian Fitter
Paperback - US$24.95 - ISBN: 9780691212470
Publication date: 18 May 2021
304 pages - 600 colour photographs - 4.5" x7.5"
