ABSTRACT The arrival of humans in New Zealand around 750 years ago resulted in widespread faunal extinctions including the endemic Waitaha penguin (Megadyptes waitaha). Previously thought to have only bred on coastal South Island and Stewart Island, recent genetic reanalysis of prehistoric large penguin bones from the lower North Island indicates that the Waitaha penguin may have been a common resident. Here we synthesise previous studies and present new palaeontological and archaeological evidence to suggest that the Waitaha penguin was probably breeding in the lower North Island at the time of human arrival, and did not represent vagrant individuals from more southerly breeding colonies. The elimination of breeding Megadyptes from the North Island would add to the already significant avifaunal losses from New Zealand, of which the North Island suffered the greatest biodiversity loss after the arrival of humans.

中文翻译：

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人类到达时在北岛繁殖 Megadyptes 企鹅的证据

摘要 大约 750 年前，人类到达新西兰导致了广泛的动物群灭绝，包括地方性的怀塔哈企鹅 (Megadyptes waitaha)。以前认为只在沿海南岛和斯图尔特岛繁殖，最近对北岛下游史前大型企鹅骨骼的基因再分析表明，怀塔哈企鹅可能是一种常见的企鹅。在这里，我们综合了之前的研究并提出了新的古生物学和考古学证据，表明怀塔哈企鹅可能在人类到达时在北岛北部繁殖，并不代表来自更南端繁殖地的流浪个体。消除北岛繁殖的 Megadyptes 将增加新西兰已经严重的鸟类损失，