seed heads of grasses and weeds, earthworms, insects, and a variety of crustaceans. An extensive record of one bird's diet from the Canterbury district, South Island, New Zealand showing a wide range of leaves and seeds of terrestrial herbs, terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, and some aquatic plants. Threats and conservation The paradise shelduck originally had no predators but now with introduced predators such as stoats and weasels, some smaller populations can become threatened. The only group of parasites that affects the Paradise shelduck are the helminths which consist of flukes (Trematodes), tapeworms (Cestodes), and roundworms (Nematodes), with only the flatworms not living symbiotically with the host. Only periodic cases of avian botulism have been reported to affect populations. In relation to diseases, recent research discovered the presence of the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci on Paradise shelducks. Different bacteria genotypes were identified in the samples of the survey and this species have been affected by genotype C. This type of bacterium is associated with important diseases not only on birds but also in humans. However, the possible impact of the disease still needs to be determined and assessed. Hunting Hunting of the species happens throughout the islands where harvest numbers range from 5% to 48% depending on the region, with an average of just over 30%. The hunting season usually starts on the first Saturday of May and ends on the 31st of July. Daily bag limits range from 6 to 25 depending from the region. Conservation Populations of the paradise shelduck used to be much smaller during pre-settlement times due to the increased forest cover but after the settlers began to inhabit the island and clear the land for pastures the populations eventually began to rise. But before the populations could rise, it fluctuated dramatically because of overhunting and exploitation by the settlers, only through protective measures between 1900 and 1920 and limited shooting in the South Island from 1923 to 1939 could the population rise to historical heights by 1935. Today the Paradise shelduck is considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature to be a species of least concern with stable populations, with a population in the range of 600,000 to 700,000. Gallery References External links Paradise shelducks – pūtangitangi Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand paradise shelduck paradise shelduck Endemic birds of New Zealand paradise shelduck paradise shelduck