References:

Ducatez, S., Giraudeau, M., Thebaud, C., & Jacquin, L. (2017). Colour polymorphism is associated with lower extinction risk in birds. Global Change Biology, 23(8), 3030-3039.

Ruzicka, F., Zwoinska, M. K., Goedert, D., Kokko, H., Li Richter, X. Y., Moodie, I. R., ... & Connallon, T. (2026). A century of theories of balancing selection. Biological Reviews, 101(2), 804-825.

Urban, L., Santure, A. W., Uddstrom, L., Digby, A., Vercoe, D., Eason, D., ... & Morales, H. E. (2024). The genetic basis of the kākāpō structural color polymorphism suggests balancing selection by an extinct apex predator. PLoS biology, 22(9), e3002755.

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A big thank you to @theweenuthatch (instagram) for his insight and resources for this topic! Check him out for bird guiding services!

Follow me on instagram: @matt.rossella

Support the show: patreon.com/blurbs439

References:

Abourachid, A., Herrel, A., Decamps, T., Pages, F., Fabre, A. C., Van Hoorebeke, L., ... & Garcia Amado, M. A. (2019). Hoatzin nestling locomotion: acquisition of quadrupedal limb coordination in birds. Science advances, 5(5), eaat0787.

Buitrón-Jurado, G. (2014). An aberrant record of Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin (Statius Muller, 1976)(Aves: Opisthocomidae) in Venezuela. Check List, 10(1), 153-155.

Cracraft, J. (2022). The Hoatzin. Current Biology, 32(20), R1068-R1069.

Mayr, G. (2014). A hoatzin fossil from the middle Miocene of Kenya documents the past occurrence of modern-type Opisthocomiformes in Africa. The Auk: Ornithological Advances, 131(1), 55-60.

Mayr, G., Alvarenga, H., & Mourer-Chauviré, C. (2011). Out of Africa: Fossils shed light on the origin of the hoatzin, an iconic Neotropic bird. Naturwissenschaften, 98(11), 961.

Mayr, G., & De Pietri, V. L. (2014). Earliest and first Northern Hemispheric hoatzin fossils substantiate Old World origin of a “Neotropic endemic”. Naturwissenschaften, 101(2), 143-148.

Pagès, F. (2019). Compared and functional morphology of the hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) (Doctoral dissertation, Museum national d'histoire naturelle-MNHN PARIS).

Other resources:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd edition.

The Science of Birds podcast episodes:

• Bird Bones: The Avian Skeleton
• The Avian Digestive System
• How Birds Fly 

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Reach out to me on instagram: matt.rossella

Support the show (a.k.a become an endemic blurb!): patreon.com/blurbs439

References:

Brathwaite, D. H. (1992). Notes on the weight, flying ability, habitat, and prey of Haast’s Eagle (Harpagornis moorei). Notornis, 39(4), 239-247.

Bunce, M., Szulkin, M., Lerner, H. R. L., Barnes, I., Shapiro, B., Cooper, A., & Holdaway, R. N. (2005). Ancient DNA provides new insights into the evolutionary history of New Zealand's extinct giant eagle. PLoS biology, 3(1), e9.

Holdaway, R. N. (2021). Two new radiocarbon ages for Haast’s eagle (Hieraaetus moorei)(Aves: Accipitridae) and comments on the eagle’s past distribution and possible survival into the 19th century. Notornis, 68(4), 278.

Holdaway, R. N. (2025). The genus name for the extinct New Zealand Eagle (Accipitridae) and a suggested replacement for an inappropriate vernacular name. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club, 145(4), 406-410.

Knapp, M., Thomas, J. E., Haile, J., Prost, S., Ho, S. Y., Dussex, N., ... & Scofield, R. P. (2019). Mitogenomic evidence of close relationships between New Zealand’s extinct giant raptors and small-sized Australian sister-taxa. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 134, 122-128.

Scofield, R. P., & Ashwell, K. W. (2009). Rapid somatic expansion causes the brain to lag behind: the case of the brain and behavior of New Zealand's Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 29(3), 637-649.

Van Heteren, A. H., Wroe, S., Tsang, L. R., Mitchell, D. R., Ross, P., Ledogar, J. A., ... & Sansalone, G. (2021). New Zealand's extinct giant raptor (Hieraaetus moorei) killed like an eagle, ate like a condor. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1964).

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Want to help my work? click the support the show link at the bottom!

References:

Benítez-López, A., Santini, L., Gallego-Zamorano, J., Milá, B., Walkden, P., Huijbregts, M. A., & Tobias, J. A. (2021). The island rule explains consistent patterns of body size evolution in terrestrial vertebrates. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5(6), 768-786.

Lomolino, M. V. (2005). Body size evolution in insular vertebrates: generality of the island rule. Journal of biogeography, 32(10), 1683-1699.

Matthews, T. J. (2023). Evolution: The rise and fall of island dwarfs and giants. Current Biology, 33(12), R684-R686.

Meiri, S., Raia, P., & Phillimore, A. B. (2011). Slaying dragons: limited evidence for unusual body size evolution on islands. Journal of Biogeography, 38(1), 89-100.

Ponti, R., Doutrelant, C., & Covas, R. (2023). Strength of the ‘island rule’ in birds is positively associated with absence of avian predators. Biology Letters, 19(3), 20220536.

Thomson, V. A., Mitchell, K. J., Eberhard, R., Dortch, J., Austin, J. J., & Cooper, A. (2018). Genetic diversity and drivers of dwarfism in extinct island emu populations. Biology Letters, 14(4), 20170617.

Wei, C., Peng, L., Zhang, Y., Nishiumi, I., Carey, G. J., Liu, Z., ... & Liu, Y. (2024). Integrative taxonomy of an East Asian songbird indicates rapid dwarfism after island colonization. Zoologica Scripta, 53(5), 509-522.

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References:

Alley, M. R., Suepaul, R. B., McKinlay, B., Young, M. J., Wang, J., Morgan, K. J., ... & Gartrell, B. D. (2017). Diphtheritic stomatitis in yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) in New Zealand. The Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 53(1), 102-110.

Bergen, D. J., & Gartrell, B. D. (2010). Discospondylitis in a yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes). Journal of Avian Medicine and Surgery, 24(1), 58-63.

Darby, J. T., Seddon, P. J., & Davis, L. S. (1990). Breeding biology of yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes). Penguin biology, 45-62.

French, R. K., Muller, C. G., Chilvers, B. L., & Battley, P. F. (2019). Behavioural consequences of human disturbance on subantarctic Yellow-eyed Penguins Megadyptes antipodes. Bird Conservation International, 29(2), 277-290.

Johnson, K. L. (2023). Marine predation injuries in yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes): a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Veterinary Science in Wildlife Health at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand (Doctoral dissertation, Massey University).

Moore, P. J. (2001). Historical records of yellow-eyed penguin (Megadyptes antipodes) in southern New Zealand. Notornis, 48(3), 145-156.

Muller, C. G., Chilvers, B. L., & French, R. K. (2020). Population estimate for yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) in the. Notornis, 67(1), 299-319.

Muller, C. G., Chilvers, B. L., Chiaradia, A., French, R. K., Kato, A., Ropert-Coudert, Y., & Battley, P. F. (2021). Foraging areas and plasticity of yellow-eyed penguins Megadyptes antipodes in their subantarctic range. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 679, 149-162.

Website used for research:

https://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/yellow-eyed-penguin

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Connect with me on instagram: matt.rossella

References:

Estandía, A., Merino Recalde, N., Sendell‐Price, A. T., Potvin, D. A., Goulding, W., Robertson, B. C., & Clegg, S. (2025). Islands Promote Diversification of the Silvereye Species Complex: A Phylogenomic Analysis of a Great Speciator. Molecular ecology, e17830.

Estoup, A., & Clegg, S. M. (2003). Bayesian inferences on the recent island colonization history by the bird Zosterops lateralis lateralis. Molecular Ecology, 12(3), 657-674.

Scott, T., Scholer, M., Melville, D. S., & Underhill, L. G. (2023). Timing and duration of primary moult in New Zealand’s silvereye (tauhou, Zosterops lateralis). Notornis, 70, 97-110.

Sendell-Price, A. T., Ruegg, K. C., Anderson, E. C., Quilodrán, C. S., Van Doren, B. M., Underwood, V. L., ... & Clegg, S. M. (2020). The genomic landscape of divergence across the speciation continuum in island-colonising silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis). G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, 10(9), 3147-3163.

Books used for research:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman 

Bird New Zealand (Beauty Like No Other) - Paul Gibson

The Brilliance of Birds (a New Zealand Birdventure) - Skye Wishart & Edin Whitehead

Support the show

Follow me on instagram: matt.rossella

Support the show: patreon.com/blurbs439

References:

Bogdziewicz, M., Zwolak, R., & Crone, E. E. (2016). How do vertebrates respond to mast seeding?. Oikos, 125(3), 300-307.

Elliott, G., & Kemp, J. (2016). Large‐scale pest control in New Zealand beech forests. Ecological Management & Restoration, 17(3), 200-209.

Kelly, D., Koenig, W. D., & Liebhold, A. M. (2008). An intercontinental comparison of the dynamic behavior of mast seeding communities. Population Ecology, 50(4), 329-342.

O'Donnell, C. F., & Hoare, J. M. (2012). Quantifying the benefits of long-term integrated pest control for forest bird populations in a New Zealand temperate rainforest. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 131-140.

Pearse, I. S., Wion, A. P., Gonzalez, A. D., & Pesendorfer, M. B. (2021). Understanding mast seeding for conservation and land management. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 376(1839), 20200383.

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Footage of the last Kauaʻi ʻōʻō :

https://youtu.be/x2KH5AoyeBc?si=rEONFaoyUNL6Cpsm 

References:

Fleischer, R. C., Campana, M. G., & James, H. F. (2022). Hawaiian songbird radiations. Current Biology, 32(20), R1070-R1072.

Fleischer, R. C., James, H. F., & Olson, S. L. (2008). Convergent evolution of Hawaiian and Australo-Pacific honeyeaters from distant songbird ancestors. Current Biology, 18(24), 1927-1931.

Lovette, I. J. (2008). Convergent evolution: raising a family from the dead. Current Biology, 18(24), R1132-R1134.

Pender, R. J., Morden, C. W., & Paull, R. E. (2014). Investigating the pollination syndrome of the Hawaiian lobeliad genus Clermontia (Campanulaceae) using floral nectar traits. American journal of botany, 101(1), 201-205.

Schmitt, C. J., & Edwards, S. V. (2022). Passerine birds. Current Biology, 32(20), R1149-R1154.

Zhao, M., Kimball, R. T., & Braun, E. L. (2025). The phylogenetic position of the extinct Hawaiian honeyeaters: Overcoming the limitations of antique DNA. bioRxiv, 2025-06.

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Links to Jimmy’s work

Instagram: @jimmy_birds 

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JimmyR_Birds

Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@FeelGoodBirder

References:

Cash, W., & Briskie, J. V. (2012). Abnormally long bill in a South Island Saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus). Notornis, 59, 88-89.

Hooson, S., & Jamieson, I. G. (2003). Breeding biology of the South Island saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus carunculatus, Callaeatidae). Notornis, 50(4), 191-200.

Hooson, S., & Jamieson, I. G. (2003). The distribution and current status of New Zealand saddleback Philesturnus carunculatus. Bird conservation international, 13(2), 79-95.

Jenkins, P. F., & Veitch, C. R. (1991). Sexual dimorphism and age determination in the North Island saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus rufaster). New Zealand journal of zoology, 18(4), 445-450.

Lloyd-Jones, D. (2014). Wattle function and territoriality in the South Island saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus). 

Parker, K. A., Ludwig, K., King, T. M., Brunton, D. H., Scofield, R. P., & Jamieson, I. G. (2014). Differences in vocalisations, morphology and mtDNA support species status for New Zealand saddleback Philesturnus spp. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 41(2), 79-94.

Sutherland, K. (2021). Temporal changes in cultural diversity across a growing meta-population of North Island saddleback (tīeke; Philesturnus rufusater): effects of mixed versus single-source translocations: a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Biology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand (Doctoral dissertation, Massey University).

Taylor, S. S., & Jamieson, I. G. (2007). Determining sex of South Island saddlebacks (Philesturnus carunculatus carunculatus) using discriminant function analysis. Notornis, 54(2), 61.

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Become an "endemic blurb" on Patreon to suggest your own episode topic ideas  (through the support the show link!).

References:

Bubier, N. E., Paxton, C. G., Bowers, P., & Deeming, D. C. (1998). Courtship behaviour of ostriches (Struthio camelus) towards humans under farming conditions in Britain. British Poultry Science, 39(4), 477-481.

Ghirlanda, S., Jansson, L., & Enquist, M. (2002). Chickens prefer beautiful humans. Human Nature, 13(3), 383-389.

Grossi, B., Iriarte-Díaz, J., Larach, O., Canals, M., & Vásquez, R. A. (2014). Walking like dinosaurs: chickens with artificial tails provide clues about non-avian theropod locomotion. PloS one, 9(2), e88458. 

Meyer-Rochow, V. B., & Gal, J. (2003). Pressures produced when penguins pooh—calculations on avian defaecation. Polar Biology, 27(1), 56-58.

Watanabe, S., Sakamoto, J., & Wakita, M. (1995). Pigeons’ discrimination of paintings by Monet and Picasso. Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 63(2), 165-174.

Yuan, Z. M., Chen, M., Jia, L., Ji, C., & Incecik, A. (2021). Wave-riding and wave-passing by ducklings in formation swimming. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 928, R2.

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Support Jen, a.k.a StagPath, (the inspiration for this episode)

instagram: @stagpath                   

Nature guidance work: stagpath.com

Note - at 14:18, it sounds like I say "pop"rolites, but the correct word (and what I said) was coprolites!

References:

Boast, A. P., Weyrich, L. S., Wood, J. R., Metcalf, J. L., Knight, R., & Cooper, A. (2018). Coprolites reveal ecological interactions lost with the extinction of New Zealand birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(7), 1546-1551.

Brunton-Martin, A., Wood, J., & Gaskett, A. C. (2024). Evidence for adaptation of colourful truffle-like fungi for birds in Aotearoa-New Zealand. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 18908.

Elliott, T. F., Jusino, M. A., Trappe, J. M., Lepp, H., Ballard, G. A., Bruhl, J. J., & Vernes, K. (2019). A global review of the ecological significance of symbiotic associations between birds and fungi. Fungal Diversity, 98(1), 161-194.

Wood, J. R., Dickie, I. A., Moeller, H. V., Peltzer, D. A., Bonner, K. I., Rattray, G., & Wilmshurst, J. M. (2015). Novel interactions between non‐native mammals and fungi facilitate establishment of invasive pines. Journal of Ecology, 103(1), 121-129.

Support the show

Support the show: patreon.com/blurbs439

Follow me on instagram: matt.rossella

References:

Chan, K., Ford, H. A., & Ambrose, S. J. (1990). Ecophysiological adaptations of the Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris to a high altitudinal winter environment. Emu-Austral Ornithology, 90(2), 119-122.

Ford, H. A. (1991). Coping with an erratic nectar source—eastern spinebills Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris at New England National Park. Emu-Austral Ornithology, 91(1), 53-56.

Ford, H. A., & Paton, D. C. (1982). Partitioning of nectar sources in an Australian honeyeater community. Australian Journal of Ecology, 7(2), 149-159.

Ford, H. A., & Pursey, J. F. (1982). Status and feeding of the Eastern Spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris at New England National Park, north-eastern NSW. Emu-Austral Ornithology, 82(4), 203-211.

Guppy, M., Guppy, S., Carlisle, N., & Fullagar, P. (2016). The Eastern Spinebill'Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris' as a nest-predator. Australian Field Ornithology, 33, 20-21.

Johnson, K. A., McQuillan, P. B., & Kirkpatrick, J. B. (2010). Bird pollination of the climbing heath Prionotes cerinthoides (Ericaceae). International Journal of Plant Sciences, 171(2), 147-157.

McFarland, D. C. (1983). Ritualized aggression in the Eastern Spinebill'Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris'. Sunbird: Journal of the Queensland Ornithological Society, The, 13(4), 78-81.

McFarland, D., & Ford, H. (1987). Aspects of population biology of the Eastern spinebill Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris (Meliphagidae) in New England National Park, NSW. Corella, 11, 52-58.

Pyke, G. H. (1981). Why hummingbirds hover and honeyeaters perch. Animal Behaviour, 29(3), 861-867.

Sarker, S., Athukorala, A., Talukder, S., & Phalen, D. N. (2020). Phylogenetic analyses to uncover the evolutionary relationship of a newly sequenced mitochondrial genome from an Eastern spinebill (Acanthorhynchus tenuirostris). Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 5(3), 3234-3238.

Scoble, J., & Clarke, M. F. (2006). Nectar availability and flower choice by eastern spinebills foraging on mountain correa. Animal Behaviour, 72(6), 1387-1394.

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References:

Araguas, A., Guellaï, B., Gauthier, P., Richer, F., Montone, G., Chopin, A., & Derégnaucourt, S. (2022). Design of a robotic zebra finch for experimental studies on developmental song learning. Journal of Experimental Biology, 225(3), jeb242949.

Badri-Spröwitz, A., Aghamaleki Sarvestani, A., Sitti, M., & Daley, M. A. (2022). BirdBot achieves energy-efficient gait with minimal control using avian-inspired leg clutching. Science Robotics, 7(64), eabg4055.

Butler, S. R., & Fernández-Juricic, E. (2014). European starlings recognize the location of robotic conspecific attention. Biology Letters, 10(10), 20140665.

Simon, R., Varkevisser, J., Mendoza, E., Hochradel, K., Elsinga, R., Wiersma, P. G., ... & Halfwerk, W. (2023). RoboFinch: a versatile audio‐visual synchronised robotic bird model for laboratory and field research on songbirds. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 14(4), 1092-1103.

Storms, R. F., Carere, C., Musters, R., Van Gasteren, H., Verhulst, S., & Hemelrijk, C. K. (2022). Deterrence of birds with an artificial predator, the RobotFalcon. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 19(195), 20220497.

Storms, R. F., Carere, C., Musters, R., Hulst, R., Verhulst, S., & Hemelrijk, C. K. (2024). A robotic falcon induces similar collective escape responses in different bird species. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 21(214), 20230737.

Other:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_lmQN6xXjY 

(2024 10 University of Canterbury M39 final year engineering animatronic project: South Island kōkako)

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Follow these legends on Instagram:

@superb_gzyd (and check out https://gary-dickson.com/photography/) 

@birdable

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We talk trips, encounters, instagram, Pokémon and more! It's one big ole' glorious catchup!

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Follow me on instagram: matt.rossella

Support the show: patreon.com/blurbs439

References:

Bell, M., & Harborne, P. (2019). The use of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to census large breeding colonies of black-billed gull (Larus bulleri) and white-fronted tern (Sterna striata) at the Ashburton River/Hakatere River mouth. Notornis, 66, 95-97.

Brown, D. (2001). Black-billed gulls hawking cicadas over shrubland. Notornis, 48, 111-112.

Dowding, J. E. (2020). Eggs salvaged from an abandoned black-billed gull (Larus bulleri) colony on the Ashley/Rakahuri River, North Canterbury. Notornis, 67, 583-585.

McClellan, R. K. (2009). The ecology and management of Southland's black-billed gulls (Doctoral dissertation, University of Otago).

Mischler, C. P. (2018). Estimating the breeding population of black-billed gulls Larus bulleri in New Zealand, and methods for future count surveys. Notornis, 65, 67-83.

Mischler, C. (2018). Population status and genetic diversity of the endemic black-billed gull Larus bulleri of New Zealand (Doctoral dissertation, University of Otago).

Mischler, C., Veale, A., Van Stijn, T., Brauning, R., McEwan, J. C., Maloney, R., & Robertson, B. C. (2018). Population connectivity and traces of mitochondrial introgression in New Zealand black-billed gulls (Larus bulleri). Genes, 9(11), 544.

Rebergen, A. (2016). Changes in the number of black-billed gulls (Larus bulleri) nesting on the Ruamahanga River, Wairarapa, between 1998 and 2012. Notornis, 63, 50-53.

Weston, K. A., & Fraser, I. (2020). Large-scale hail-induced mortality in white-fronted tern (Sterna striata) and black-billed gull (Larus bulleri) breeding colonies on the Rangitata River, New Zealand. Notornis, 67, 481-484.

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Listening back, i think it's important to note that this research applies to diurnal (awake in the daytime) birds. Nocturnal birds never came up in my research, probably for that very reason, but I thought i'd mention it here nonetheless!

Also, I'm not sure why the last birdsong transition sounds a bit funky - it occurred during the final mastering step, and the rest were fine, so I don't know! Oh well, there's beauty in imperfection! 

This episode is dedicated to my Aunty Christine.

Follow me on instagram: matt.rossella

Support the show on patreon: patreon.com/blurbs439

References:

De Framond, L., & Brumm, H. (2022). Long-term effects of noise pollution on the avian dawn chorus: a natural experiment facilitated by the closure of an international airport. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 289(1982), 20220906.

Gil, D., & Llusia, D. (2020). The bird dawn chorus revisited. Coding strategies in vertebrate acoustic communication, 45-90.

Gupta, P., Sinha, A., Malik, S., & Rani, S. (2023). Dawn and dusk chorus as a potential zeitgeber. Biological Rhythm Research, 54(1), 41-51.

Hill, S. D., Pawley, M. D., Anderson, M. G., & Ji, W. (2018). Higher song complexity and intruder pressure at dawn in a vocally complex songbird. Emu-Austral Ornithology, 118(2), 147-157.

Hodgson, L., Waas, J. R., & Foote, J. R. (2018). Early singers attend to conspecific but not heterospecific behavioural cues at dawn. Journal of Avian Biology, 49(7), e01749.

Hutchinson, J. M. (2002). Two explanations of the dawn chorus compared: how monotonically changing light levels favour a short break from singing. Animal Behaviour, 64(4), 527-539.

Lee, J. G. H., MacGregor‐Fors, I., & Yeh, P. J. (2017). Sunrise in the city: disentangling drivers of the avian dawn chorus onset in urban greenspaces. Journal of Avian Biology, 48(7), 955-964.

Naguib, M., Diehl, J., van Oers, K., & Snijders, L. (2019). Repeatability of signalling traits in the avian dawn chorus. Frontiers in zoology, 16, 1-11.

Pérez-Granados, C., Osiejuk, T. S., & López-Iborra, G. M. (2018). Dawn chorus interpretation differs when using songs or calls: the Dupont’s Lark Chersophilus duponti case. PeerJ, 6, e5241.

Schlicht, L., Schlicht, E., Santema, P., & Kempenaers, B. (2023). A dawn and dusk chorus will emerge if males sing in the absence of their mate. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 290(2011), 20232266.

Vazquez-Cardona, J. (2022). Is the dawn chorus an adaptation to warm-up the voice in Adelaide's warbler (Setophaga adelaidae)? (Master's thesis, University of Lethbridge (Canada)).

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Books used for research:

Birds New Zealand (beauty like no other) - Paul Gibson

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart and Edin Whitehead

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Books:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Reader’s Digest

Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand - Barrie Heather & Hugh Robertson

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart & Edin Whitehead 

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Research articles cited:

Aidala, Z., Chong, N., Anderson, M. G., Ortiz-Catedral, L., Jamieson, I. G., Briskie, J. V., ... & Hauber, M. E. (2013). Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Mohoua, endemic hosts of New Zealand’s obligate brood parasitic Long-tailed Cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis). Journal of Ornithology, 154, 1127-1133.

Fidler, A. E., Aidala, Z., Anderson, M. G., Ortiz-Catedral, L., & Hauber, M. E. (2016). Pseudogenisation of the short-wavelength sensitive 1 (SWS1) opsin gene in two New Zealand endemic passerine species: the Yellowhead (Mohoua ochrocephala) and Brown creeper (M. novaeseelandiae). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 128(1), 159-163.

McCullough, J. M., Oliveros, C. H., Benz, B. W., Zenil-Ferguson, R., Cracraft, J., Moyle, R. G., & Andersen, M. J. (2022). Wallacean and Melanesian islands promote higher rates of diversification within the global passerine radiation Corvides. Systematic Biology, 71(6), 1423-1439.

Oliveros, C. H., Field, D. J., Ksepka, D. T., Barker, F. K., Aleixo, A., Andersen, M. J., ... & Faircloth, B. C. (2019). Earth history and the passerine superradiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(16), 7916-7925.

Olson, S. L. (1990). Comments on the osteology and systematics of the New Zealand passerines of the genus Mohoua. Notornis.

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Angehr, G. R. (1984). A bird in the hand: Andreas Reischek and the Stitchbird. Notornis, 31(4), 300-311.

Duntsch, L. (2022). Genomic insights into the adaptive potential of the hihi (Notiomystis cincta), a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland).

Duntsch, L., Tomotani, B. M., de Villemereuil, P., Brekke, P., Lee, K. D., Ewen, J. G., & Santure, A. W. (2020). Polygenic basis for adaptive morphological variation in a threatened Aotearoa| New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 287(1933), 20200948.

Ewen, J. G., Flux, I., & Ericson, P. G. (2006). Systematic affinities of two enigmatic New Zealand passerines of high conservation priority, the hihi or stitchbird Notiomystis cincta and the kokako Callaeas cinerea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 40(1), 281-284.

Ewen, J. G., Renwick, R., Adams, L., Armstrong, D. P., Parker, K. A., & North, N. Z. D. (2013). 1980-2012: 32 years of re-introduction efforts of the hihi (stitchbird) in New Zealand. Global Re-introduction Perspectives: 2013. Further case studies from around the globe, 68.

Low, M. (2010). Which factors limited Stitchbird population growth on Mokoia Island?. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 269-271.

Low, M., & Pärt, T. (2009). Patterns of mortality for each life‐history stage in a population of the endangered New Zealand stitchbird. Journal of Animal Ecology, 78(4), 761-771.

Makan, T., Castro, I., Robertson, A. W., Joy, M. K., & Low, M. (2014). Habitat complexity and management intensity positively influence fledging success in the endangered hihi (Notiomystis cincta). New Zealand journal of ecology, 53-63.

Rasch, G. (1985). The ecology of cavity nesting in the stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 12(4), 637-642.

Rippon, R. J., Alley, M. R., & Castro, I. (2011). Causes of mortality in a nestling population of free-living hihi (stitchbird—Notiomystis cincta). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 38(3), 207-222.

Roper, M. M., & Brunton, D. H. (2024). Do hihi lose access to supplemental feeders because of the presence of korimako?. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 51(2), 317-333.

Selwyn, R. E., Lenting, B., Beaven, K. C., & Irwin, E. T. (2022). Successful use of intraspecific parental fostering in the management of an endemic threatened bird: New Zealand’s hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Notornis, 69, 116-118.

Smith, C., Walker, L. K., & Ewen, J. G. (2015). Age and sex criteria for the hihi (Notiomystis cincta) with additional details on moult patterns. Notornis, 62(3), 135-142.

Book used for research:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Birds New Zealand - beauty like no other - Paul Gibson (2nd ed.)

Birds of New Zealand and Outlying Islands - M.F. Soper

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest 

New Zealand Birds and how to identify them - Pérrine Moncrieff (5th ed.)

New Zealand’s Native Birds Of Bush And Countryside - Penguin Pocket Guides

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart & Edin Whitehead

The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand - Barrie Heather & Hugh Robertson

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Birdstories - Geoff Norman

References:

Brathwaite, D. H. (1992). Notes on the weight, flying ability, habitat, and prey of Haast’s Eagle (Harpagornis moorei). Notornis, 39(4), 239-247.

Carpenter, J. K., Innes, J. G., Wood, J. R., & Lyver, P. O’B. (2021). Good predators: the roles of weka (Gallirallus australis) in New Zealand’s past and present ecosystems. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 45(1), 1-14.

Gill, B. J. (2003). Osteometry and systematics of the extinct New Zealand ravens (Aves: Corvidae: Corvus). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, 1(1), 43-58.

Gill, B. J., Furey, L., & Ash, E. (2020). The Moa Fauna (Aves: Dinornithiformes) of the Auckland and Coromandel Regions, New Zealand. Records of the Auckland Museum, 55, 85-100.

Holdaway, R. N. (1989). New Zealand's pre-human avifauna and its vulnerability. New Zealand journal of ecology, 11-25.

Holdaway, R. N., Worthy, T. H., & Tennyson, A. J. (2001). A working list of breeding bird species of the New Zealand region at first human contact. New Zealand journal of zoology, 28(2), 119-187.

McGlone, M. S. (1989). The Polynesian settlement of New Zealand in relation to environmental and biotic changes. New Zealand journal of ecology, 115-129.

Wood, J. R., Richardson, S. J., McGlone, M. S., & Wilmshurst, J. M. (2020). The diets of moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes). New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 44(1), 1-21.

Wood, J. R., Scofield, R. P., Hamel, J., Lalas, C., & Wilmshurst, J. M. (2017). Bone stable isotopes indicate a high trophic position for New Zealand’s extinct South Island adzebill (Aptornis defossor)(Gruiformes: Aptornithidae). New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 41(2), 240-244.

Worthy, T. H. (1990). An analysis of the distribution and relative abundance of moa species (Aves: Dinornithiformes). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 17(2), 213-241.

Worthy, T. H., & Scofield, R. P. (2012). Twenty-first century advances in knowledge of the biology of moa (Aves: Dinornithiformes): a new morphological analysis and moa diagnoses revised. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 39(2), 87-153.

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Miskelly, C. M., Crossland, A. C., Sagar, P. M., Saville, I., Tennyson, A. J., & Bell, E. A. (2015). Vagrant and extra-limital bird records accepted by the Birds New Zealand Records Appraisal Committee 2013–2014. Notornis, 62, 85-95.

Miskelly, C. M., Crossland, A. C., Sagar, P. M., Saville, I., Tennyson, A. J., & Bell, E. A. (2017). Vagrant and extra-limital bird records accepted by the Birds New Zealand Records Appraisal Committee 2015-2016. Notornis, 64, 57-67.

Miskelly, C. M., Crossland, A. C., Saville, I., Southey, I., Tennyson, A. J., & Bell, E. A. (2019). Vagrant and extra-limital bird records accepted by the Birds New Zealand Records Appraisal Committee 2017–2018. Notornis, 66, 150-163.

Miskelly, C. M., Crossland, A. C., Saville, I., Southey, I., Tennyson, A. J., & Bell, E. A. (2021). Vagrant and extra-limital bird records accepted by the Birds New Zealand Records Appraisal Committee 2019–2020. Notornis, 68, 253-265.

Miskelly, C. M., Crossland, A. C., Saville, I., Southey, I., Tennyson, A. J., & Bell, E. A. (2023). Vagrant and extra-limital bird records accepted by the Birds New Zealand Records Appraisal Committee 2021–2022. Notornis, 70(2), 60-73.

Williams, M., Gummer, H., Powlesland, R., Robertson, H., & Taylor, G. (2006). Migrations and movements of birds to New Zealand and surrounding seas. Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand.

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Support the podcast on Patreon: http://patreon.com/blurbs439
Follow me on instagram: matt.rossella

References:

Carney, R. M., Tischlinger, H., & Shawkey, M. D. (2020). Evidence corroborates identity of isolated fossil feather as a wing covert of Archaeopteryx. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 15593.

Guimarães, M. J. (2023). Colonial ground nesting by Archaeopteryx suggests wing evolution in primal association with nesting and the ground up evolution of flight. bioRxiv, 2023-05.

Longrich, N. R., Tischlinger, H., & Foth, C. (2020). The feathers of the Jurassic urvogel Archaeopteryx. The Evolution of Feathers: From Their Origin to the Present, 119-146.

Schwarz, D., Kundrát, M., Tischlinger, H., Dyke, G., & Carney, R. M. (2019). Ultraviolet light illuminates the avian nature of the Berlin Archaeopteryx skeleton. Scientific reports, 9(1), 6518.

Voeten, D. F., Cubo, J., De Margerie, E., Röper, M., Beyrand, V., Bureš, S., ... & Sanchez, S. (2018). Wing bone geometry reveals active flight in Archaeopteryx. Nature communications, 9(1), 923.

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Brown creeper song:
https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/brown-creeper
Under "sound' section:
Brown Creeper Part song from a small flock, Te Anau, November 1956, Afternoon, McPherson Natural History Unit Sound Archive, www.archivebirdsnz.com

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Follow me on instagram: matt.rossella

References:

Beranek, C. T. (2020). Nocturnal detection of Australian Little Bittern and Australian Painted-snipe–Prospects for nocturnal survey methods for rare wetland birds. The Whistler, 14, 48-53.

Hassell, C. J., & Rogers, D. I. (2002). Painted Snipe nesting at Taylor's Lagoon near Broome, north-western Australia. Stilt, 41, 14-21.

Herring, M., & Silcocks, A. (2014). The use of rice fields by the endangered Australian Painted Snipe (Rostratula australis): a rare opportunity to combine food production and conservation?. Stilt, 66, 20-29.

Jaensch, R. (2009). Further records of Australian painted snipe Rostratula australis in the Lake Eyre Basin, Queensland, with evidence of breeding. Stilt, 56, 40-42.

Jaensch, R., McCabe, J., Wahl, J., & Houston, W. (2004). Breeding by Australian painted snipe on the Torilla Plain, Brigalow Belt coast, Queensland. The Stilt, 45, 39-42.

Knuckey, C. G., Trainor, C. R., Firth, R. C. S., Sansom, J. L., & Trainer, J. E. (2013). A record of the Endangered Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula australis (Gould, 1838) in the Fortescue valley, Pilbara region. Wader Study Group Bulletin, 120(1), 11-14.

Lane, B. A., & Rogers, D. I. (2000). The Australian Painted Snipe Rostratula (benghalensis) australis: an endangered species. The Stilt, 36, 26-34.

Lindsey, A. (2009). Some observations on the behaviour of the Australian Painted Snipe. The Whistler, 3, 53-54.

Fraser, N. Some observations of the foraging behaviour of the Australian Painted-snipe and the Greater Painted-snipe. Whistler, 36.

Fraser, N. (2020). A review of Australian Painted-snipe records from the Hunter Region, 1966-2020. The Whistler, 14, 35-43.

Rogers, D., Hance, I., Paton, S., Tzaros, C., Griffioen, P., Herring, M., ... & Weston, M. (2005). The breeding bottleneck: Breeding habitat and population decline in the Australian Painted Snipe. Status and Conservation of Seabirds in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, 15-23.

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Books used for research:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Birds of New Zealand and Outlying Islands - M.F. Soper

Birds New Zealand (beauty like no other) - Paul Gibson

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart & Edin Whitehead 

Know Your New Zealand Birds - Murdoch Riley

Support the show

A mini guide to the identification of New Zealand’s land birds - Andrew Crowe

Birds of New Zealand and Outlying Islands - M.F Soper

Birds New Zealand (beauty like no other), 2nd edition - Paul Gibson 

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest                                                                                   


References:

Carter, M. (1996). Nesting Rosellas' Platycercus' spp.: Innovative site selection and notes on repeat breeding and other behaviour. Australian Bird Watcher, 16(8), 344-348.

De Graaff, T. (1998). Rosellas; an Australian viewpoint: aviculture of the eastern rosella. AFA Watchbird, 25(2), 44-47.

Galbraith, J. A., Fraser, E. A., Clout, M. N., & Hauber, M. E. (2011). Survey duration and season influence the detection of introduced eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius) in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 38(3), 223-235.

Pence, M., Torcello, J., & Sanderson, K. (1995) Observations of coexistence between Adelaide and eastern rosellas (platycerus spp.) In Adelaide. South Australian Ornithologist, 32, 25-32. 

Shipham, A., Schmidt, D. J., Joseph, L., & Hughes, J. M. (2017). A genomic approach reinforces a hypothesis of mitochondrial capture in eastern Australian rosellas. The Auk: Ornithological Advances, 134(1), 181-192.

Thompson, D. R. (1998) Rosellas; a US viewpoint: The Eastern Rosella in the US. AFA Watchbird, 25(2), 47-49.

Tzaros, C. L. (1992). The Red Variety of the Eastern Rosella. Australian Bird Watcher, 14(6), 226-229.

Wright, D., & Clout, M. N. (2001). The eastern rosella (Platycercus eximius) in New Zealand (pp. 5-27). Department of Conservation.

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Support the show

Frith, C. B. (1997). Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris: Callaeidae)-like sexual bill dimorphism in some birds of paradise (Paradisaeidae) and its significance. Notornis, 44, 177-184.

Lambert, D. M., Shepherd, L. D., Huynen, L., Beans-Picon, G., Walter, G. H., & Millar, C. D. (2009). The molecular ecology of the extinct New Zealand huia. PLoS One, 4(11), e8019.

Monson, C. S. (2005). Cultural constraints and corrosive colonization: Western commerce in Aotearoa/New Zealand and the extinction of the huia. Pacific Studies, 28, 26-26.

Selander, R. K. (1966). Sexual dimorphism and differential niche utilization in birds. The Condor, 68(2), 113-151.

Tebbutt, S. J., & Simons, C. (2002). Gene sequences from New Zealand's extinct Huia. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 32(2), 327-335.

Tomotani, B. M., Salvador, R. B., Sabadel, A. J., Miskelly, C. M., Brown, J. C., Delgado, J., ... & Bury, S. J. (2022). Extreme bill dimorphism leads to different but overlapping isotopic niches and similar trophic positions in sexes of the charismatic extinct huia. Oecologia, 198(1), 67-77.

Books used for research:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Birds New Zealand (beauty like no other) - Paul Gibson      

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest 

Support the show

Books used for research:
 
Birdstories - Geoff Norman
 
Birds New Zealand (beauty like no other) - Paul Gibson

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest 
 
The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart and Edin Whitehead

Support the show

Imber, M. J., Taylor, G. A., Tennyson, A. J. D., Aikman, H. A., Scofield, R. P., Ballantyne, J., & Crockett, D. E. (2005). Non‐breeding behaviour of Magenta Petrels Pterodroma magentae at Chatham Island, New Zealand. Ibis, 147(4), 758-763.

Johnston, R. B., Bettany, S. M., Ogle, R. M., Aikman, H. A., Taylor, G. A., & IMBER, M. J. (2003). Breeding and fledging behaviour of the Chatham Taiko (Magenta Petrel) Pterodroma magentae, and predator activity at burrows. Marine Ornithology, 31, 193-197.

Lawrence, H. A. (2008). Conservation genetics of the world's most endangered seabird, the Chatham Island tāiko (Pterodroma magentae): a thesis presented in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Molecular Biosciences at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand (Doctoral dissertation, Massey University).

Lawrence, H. A., Scofield, R. P., Millar, C. D., & Lambert, D. M. (2008). DNA sequencing detects an additional museum specimen of the Chatham Island Taiko (Pterodroma magentae). Notornis, 55, 216-218.

Lawrence, H. A., Taylor, G. A., Millar, C. D., & Lambert, D. M. (2008). High mitochondrial and nuclear genetic diversity in one of the world’s most endangered seabirds, the Chatham Island Taiko (Pterodroma magentae). Conservation Genetics, 9, 1293-1301.

Solomon, M., & Thorpe, S. (2012). Taonga moriori: recording and revival. Journal of Material Culture, 17(3), 245-263.

Taylor, G., Cockburn, S., Palmer, D., & Liddy, P. (2012). Breeding activity of Chatham Island taiko (Pterodroma magentae) monitored using PIT tag recorders. New Zealand journal of ecology, 36(3), 1-8.

Books used for research:
 
Birds New Zealand (beauty like no other) - Paul Gibson

Birdstories - Geoff Norman 

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest

Support the show

Boast, A. P. (2019). A Holocene fossil South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) in a high-altitude north-west Nelson cave. Notornis, 66, 34-36.

Trewick, S. A. (1996). Morphology and evolution of two takahe: flightless rails of New Zealand. Journal of Zoology, 238(2), 221-237.

Books used for research:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Takahē (Bird of Dreams) - Alison Ballance  

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Milne, A., & Stocker, R. (2014). Evidence for the continued existence of the South Island kokako (Callaeas cinerea) drawn from reports collected between January 1990 and June 2012. Notornis, 61, 137-143.

Books / websites used for research:

A mini guide to the identification of New Zealand’s land birds - Andrew Crowe

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest 

Know your New Zealand birds - Murdoch Riley

New Zealand native birds of bush and countryside - Penguin books

The Birds Around Us - Geoff Moon

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart and Edin Whitehead

https://www.southislandkokako.org/

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Ericson, P. G., Christidis, L., Cooper, A., Irestedt, M., Jackson, J., Johansson, U. S., & Norman, J. A. (2002). A Gondwanan origin of passerine birds supported by DNA sequences of the endemic New Zealand wrens. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences, 269(1488), 235-241.

Manegold, A. (2009). The early fossil record of perching birds (Passeriformes). Palaeont. Afr., 44, 103-107.

Mayr, G., & Manegold, A. (2006). New specimens of the earliest European passeriform bird. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 51(2).

Mitchell, K. J., Wood, J. R., Llamas, B., McLenachan, P. A., Kardailsky, O., Scofield, R. P., ... & Cooper, A. (2016). Ancient mitochondrial genomes clarify the evolutionary history of New Zealand’s enigmatic acanthisittid wrens. Molecular phylogenetics and evolution, 102, 295-304.

McNab, B. K., & Weston, K. A. (2020). Does the New Zealand rockwren (Xenicus gilviventris) hibernate?. Journal of Experimental Biology, 223(9), jeb212126.

Oliveros, C. H., Field, D. J., Ksepka, D. T., Barker, F. K., Aleixo, A., Andersen, M. J., ... & Faircloth, B. C. (2019). Earth history and the passerine superradiation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(16), 7916-7925.

Sibley, C. G., Williams, G. R., & Ahlquist, J. E. (1982). The relationships of the New Zealand wrens (Acanthisittidae) as indicated by DNA-DNA hybridization.

Worthy, T. H., Hand, S. J., Nguyen, J. M., Tennyson, A. J., Worthy, J. P., Scofield, R. P., ... & Archer, M. (2010). Biogeographical and phylogenetic implications of an early Miocene wren (Aves: Passeriformes: Acanthisittidae) from New Zealand. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 30(2), 479-498.

Verry, A. J., Scarsbrook, L., Scofield, R. P., Tennyson, A. J., Weston, K. A., Robertson, B. C., & Rawlence, N. J. (2019). Who, where, what, wren? Using ancient DNA to examine the veracity of museum specimen data: a case study of the New Zealand rock wren (Xenicus gilviventris). Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7, 496.

Books used for research:

A mini guide to the identification of New Zealand’s land birds - Andrew Crowe

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Flight of the Huia - Kerry-Jayne Wilson

Know your New Zealand birds - Murdoch Riley

New Zealand native birds of bush and countryside - Penguin books

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart and Edin Whitehead

See you in the next episode! Thanks for listening!

- Matt

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