I have a lot of respect for the Black Stilt. These birds, the rarest waders in the world, are all but extinct. Thanks to a captive breed-and-release program, a "wild population" of about 20 birds exists, but it's not self-sustaining, and probably never will be. They're simply not up for making it on their own. But the amazing thing is, they know it.
Unlike most birds that simply give up when their population dwindles, these stilts have taken a fantastic act toward self-preservation. They've started breeding outside their species. It's not that unreasonable, I suppose. They share an immediate common ancestor with the numerous Pied Stilts found across the south pacific. Of course, this is also why the captive breeding program is doomed to failure, for despite best attempts to keep a "pure strain" in the wild, the Black Stilts know their days are numbered without their Pied cousins.
And so across New Zealand there are little pockets of Hybrid Black/Pied Stilts (above). It's cases like this that make species delineation so tricky. Is the Hybrid a new species? A "crossover" species? I think it's the future for all the stilts in New Zealand- in another few hundred years, we'll consider it "natural variation within the endemic stilt population." It's a fantastic example of how the native birds on these islands can adapt. Which is why I think the last bird we photographed in New Zealand may have been the best.
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