Old Blue, the story of the black robin

New Zealand’s black robin is an amazing story of how a species on the brink of extinction, with one breeding pair left, has now recovered to approximately 250 individuals. All of these individuals are descended from one female called Old Blue.

The gene pool of these individuals tells a story of the species population dynamics.

Photo of Old Blue courtesy Don Merton, Department of Conservation, and photo of plaque courtesy of Katie Labarbera