Bird-catching trees spark debate between Auckland and Whangārei experts

A ruru had to be cleaned after becoming stuck in the gluey seedpods of a parapara tree.

An Auckland bird expert and a Whangārei counterpart disagree over whether gardeners should get rid of parapara or “bird catching” trees.

Ian McLean, the Auckland regional representative for Birds New Zealand, disagrees with the advice recently given to gardeners by Robert Webb, the founder of Whangārei’s Native Bird Recovery Centre, that they should get rid of parapara trees – a native tree with sticky seed heads that attract and trap birds.

Webb’s advice was included in a Northern Advocate article about a native owl (ruru) he had recently cleaned of the sticky substance – one of many native birds he has similarly treated throughout his long career.

Whangārei bird expert Robert Webb with a ruru (native morepork). Photo / NZME

Webb said the trees were a menace to birds, which often suffered slow deaths after becoming “glued” to the seeds.

Smaller birds such as wax eyes, fantails and warblers were particularly prone and, as they thrashed around trying to escape, became targets for larger predatory birds such as tūī and owls, which also became stuck.

All the birds were also at risk of being eaten by cats, Webb said.

He believes parapara trees are quite common in Northland and said he always advised gardeners to remove them. And, he persuaded some garden centres to stop selling them about 20 years ago.

A ruru being cleaned at Whangārei Native Bird Recovery Centre.

In his view, it was more important to remove the risk to native birds than protect parapara trees. Birds were always his priority and he was always willing to advocate for them, Webb said.

However, the advice is disputed by McLean, who emailed the Northern Advocate with his opposing views.

McLean said: “The tree itself is actually very rare. It is an endangered plant on the mainland and is often now just restricted to predator-free seabird islands.

“It is actually rarer than many of our endemic birds, and unfortunately, [Webb’s] advice suggesting that people remove the trees just results in a hatred and further decline of this plant species.”

Birds New Zealand Auckland regional representative Ian McLean.

McLean suggested the simple solution to the issue was for people to cut off the flowers before they developed into the culprit sticky seed pods.

“If those with this plant in their gardens undertook this simple task, both the tree and the birds would survive,” he said.

Webb, however, remains committed to his advice that the trees should be removed. The trees can grow quite large so it would often be impractical – and possibly even dangerous – for home gardeners to try to remove all the flowers, he said.

McLean was not surprised Webb’s attitude towards the trees differed to his.

“He may not have an ecological or conservation outlook.

“Unfortunately, in regard to parapara trees, there is often a burn and destroy outlook, with people going to the extreme of referring to them as ‘evil trees’.

“The fact is that they have always been part of the natural environment,” McLean said.

Sarah Curtis is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on a wide range of issues. She has nearly 20 years’ experience in journalism, much of which she spent court reporting. She is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.