Prof Jamieson and his team have been monitoring Dunedin's small population of robins for three years and this year translocated about 35 of the birds to Orokonui Ecosanctuary.
Dunedin's population of robins, estimated to be about 200, was small and geographically isolated, he said.
They were found in native forest in the Silver Stream catchment and in exotic forest in the Silver Peaks.
By translocating some of the birds to Orokonui, it not only met its goal of returning the ecosanctuary to how Otago had been 100 years ago, but also provided a third population of robins, safeguarding the robins if something happened to the wild population in Dunedin, he said.
"We're trying to develop better techniques. If we can test the idea out on robins, it'll be a good model for threatened species."
Twenty-five young robins, 19 from exotic forest just 9km from the ecosanctuary and six from a small population at Flagstaff were relocated in April.
"Nobody had moved the birds such a short distance for translocation but it went well."
Surveys a week later detected only four of the birds inside the sanctuary and the following week one of the birds was found back at the Silver Peaks.
Further monitoring throughout this year had shown eight of the birds had gone back to the Silver Peaks to the exact spot where they were caught.
Robins had a strong homing tendency and it was thought the young birds might have already established their breeding territory before they were caught, he said.
Twelve were unaccounted for.
"Six birds stayed in the ecosanctuary, which was a good result.
"We only need a few birds to stay and breed and for their offspring to stay and settle."
Two pairs had bred and the first time they bred two chicks fledged.
The second time three chicks fledged and the other pair was sitting on four eggs.
Since November, they had "drip fed" nine chicks five or six weeks old which had not "imprinted" their own territory into the ecosanctuary.
Small radio transmitters were put on the birds so their movements could be tracked.
"It's exciting now we know the detail of their day-to-day movements."
The research was still in progress but so far seven were still in the ecosanctuary and one had moved to bush on the other side of the fence, Prof Jamieson said.
"The real test now is how many attempt to breed in the sanctuary."
Another test would be to see how the birds bred in a predator-proof enclosure compared with those in the wild, he said.
