South Island Piopio The South Island Piopio, also known as New Zealand Trush, was a passeriform bird endemic to New Zealand. A common bird at one point of time, the South Island Piopio population began to decline at a rapid rate in the last quarter of the 19th century. This was mainly due to predation by rats and cats, which were introduced to the island along with human settlements. Further decline was also observed, owing to large-scale loss of habitat and human interference. In the last decade of the 19th century, the South Island Piopio was regarded to be the rarest bird in the country, but these rare sightings continued with a few decades to follow before finally becoming totally extinct. The last recorded sighting of this species happened in 1963.
