LAGOMORPH ABUNDANCE AROUND YELLOW-EYED PENGUIN (MEGADYPTES ANTIPODES)COLONIES, SOUTH ISLAND, NEW-ZEALAND

Predation of yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) chicks may be reduced by removing stock around penguin breeding sites because long g rass may reduce lagomorph abundance and hence small mammal predators. This study tests this hypothesis in the South Island, New Zealand. The abundance of lagomorph faeces (mainly rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus, b ut some European hare Lepus europaeus) was used as an index of relativ e abundance of lagomorphs at 16 penguin breeding sites in winter 1991 and 37 sites in 1992/93. There was no evidence that lagomorph pellet a bundance was reduced where vegetation was ungrazed. Lagomorph sign was widespread throughout ungrazed areas indicating that the entire ungra zed area and not merely the edge was used by lagomorphs. Lagomorph pel let abundance was higher on sand dunes than elsewhere. Retirement from grazing by stock may help protect and provide nesting habitat for pen guins, but does not decrease lagomorph abundance close to nesting site s. Iris not yet known whether high lagomorph abundance leads to increa sed or decreased predation on penguin chicks. The habitat should not b e modified ostensibly to reduce lagomorph abundance until the effect o n predation is known.