'Extinct' birds found in New Zealand: 03-12-2007
A number of New Zealand storm petrels have been caught by the country's department of conservation, it has been announced.
The birds were once thought to be extinct but these latest finds have brought the number of petrels captured since 2003 to seven.
Karen Baird, an officer for the New Zealand department of conservation, explained that the birds have been captured because it is vital that they are given protection.
Three birds were caught off the Coromandel Peninsula during November and December, the department revealed, and it is hoped that they are thriving on some of New Zealand's islands.
New Zealand eradicated the rat population from islands in the outer Hauraki Gulf and it is thought that this could be the location of the birds' breeding grounds.
Ms Baird explained that the eradication of the rats has had the exciting effect of boosting the population of creatures once thought to be extinct.
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