Pāteke, or brown teal, are the rarest mainland dabbling duck in New Zealand.
Congregations of pāteke at Northland flock sites have been counted annually in February since 1988 to monitor population trends. Kiwi Coast works each year with community groups, specialist staff at DOC, the Pāteke Recovery Group and NorthTec to assist with the flock counts and investigate new sites.
Analysis of the 2025 Pāteke Flock Count data shows that the endangered endemic nocturnal ducks continue to flourish on Northland’s east coast where intense predator control and dedicated dog control has been sustained.
However, the 2025 flock count total was slightly less than last year at 532 and this will be closely observed to ensure a downward population trend is not occurring.
In additional to the annual flock count monitoring, pāteke are increasingly being found in wetlands and seen on farm ponds in eastern Whangarei. The sustained and steadily increasing predator control within the Kiwi Link 15,000ha network is helping these rare ducks to disperse to new sites and breed successfully – which will help boost numbers.
Featured photo: Male pāteke showing breeding plumage, Sandy Bay, July 2025. Malcolm Pullman
