Kakapo Presentation

New Zealand Native Birds 2013

Information table

COMMON NAME	MAORI NAME	PICTURE	INTERESTING FACTS
Takahe	moho	*	The Takahē was once thought to be extinct, but in the 1948 it hit world headlines when an Invercargill doctor, Geoffrey Orbell, rediscovered the bird high in the tussock grasslands of the remote Murchison Mountains, Fiordland. Even today, despite years of conservation effort, the takahē remains critically endangered.
Pukeko	swamphen	*	Pukeko crowned Bird of the Year Blue-suited battler wins hearts and minds The pukeko has won the crowning title of Bird of the Year in 2011 in Forest & ... of applause please for our blue-suited battler – the pukeko, our critically endangered kakapo for securing second place.
Harrier	Kahu	*	Harriers are common throughout the open landscapes of New Zealand and Australasia. They naturally colonised New Zealand from Australia some 800 years ago after large areas of the country were cleared of bush during human settlement. Harriers generally nest in swamps and in areas surrounded by water to reduce access by predators. They will also nest in rank grassland, areas of cereal crop and in young pine plantations where they make a large nest platform out of grass and sticks. Very occasionally they will also nest in trees. Pairs begin their characteristic ‘sky dancing’ courtship display in July/August. During this display both birds of a pair rise on thermals high into the sky, dropping down in a spectacular rocking dive, then looping back up high, sometimes completing large circles in the sky. This spectacular circular display.
Fantail	Pi-waka-waka.	*	The fantail is widespread throughout New Zealand and its offshore islands, including the Chatham Islands and Snares Islands. It is common in most regions of the country, except in the dry, open country of inland Marlborough and Central Otago, where frosts and snow falls are too harsh for it. It also breeds widely in Australia and some Pacific Islands.
Tui	parsons	*	An unique bird for New Zealand. Belongs to honeyeaters family which means they feed mainly on nectar from flowers of native plants. Sometimes they eat insects too. Can fly large distance. It’s an important pollinator of most native trees. A variety of native trees and shrubs can be planted to provide a year-round food supply for tūī, but plants need to be carefully selected so there are flowers and fruit at different times.
Bellbird	korimako	*	Most New Zealanders can easily recognise the bellbird by its melodious song, which Captain Cook described as sounding ‘like small bells exquisitely tuned’. Well camouflaged, the bellbird is usually heard before it is seen. Females are dull olive-brown, with a slight blue sheen on the head and a pale yellow cheek stripe. Males are olive green, with a purplish head and black outer wing and tail feathers.
NZ Pigeon	Ke-re-ru.	*	New Zealand's native pigeon, also known as kererū, kūkū and kūkupa and wood pigeon, is the only disperser of large fruits, such as those of karaka and taraire, we have. The disappearance of the kererū would be a disaster for the regeneration of our native forests. The kererū is a large bird with irridescent green and bronze feathers on its head and a smart white vest. The noisy beat of its wings is a distinctive sound in our forests. The pigeon is found in most lowland native forests of the North, South and Stewart/Rakiura islands and many of their neighbouring islands.
Morepork	ruru	*	The morepork (Ninox novaeseelandiae) is New Zealand’s only surviving native owl. Often heard in the forest at dusk and throughout the night, the morepork is known for its haunting, melancholic call. Its Maori name, ruru, reflects this call. The much larger laughing owl became extinct in the 20th century. The German or little owl is a smaller species often found on open and lightly wooded farmland. It was introduced to New Zealand between 1906 and 1910 to try to control smaller introduced birds.
Kingfisher	Kotare	*	Kotare, the kingfisher, is around here in numbers again and it is good to hear their friendly piping as well as their harsh alarm rattle. They seem to have had a good breeding season as many are juveniles, being brownish in colour, unlike the brilliant blue and green of the adults. They had virtually disappeared from around here over the last few years, I think largely because of the carelessness of local council workers who came along the road to cut back about a foot off the cuttings just at the wrong time of the year. It was late in November and the nesting sites, together with the young birds, were destroyed. It was sad to see the parents afterwards, frantically trying to make new nesting holes, literally throwing themselves against the banks. It was not a good year for them..
Kaka	kaka	*	The Kaka is a restless bird, and when camped in the bush one hears their cries throughout the night. Ere any sign of dawn is noted the brown parrot is awake and awaiting it, its harsh cry rings out, and the sojourners within the realm of Tane say: Kua tangi to kaka, the kaka has cried, and know that Hine-ata, the Morning Maid, is at hand..
Parakeet	kakariki	*	They usually have small bodies and long tail feathers that are tapered. They come in a variety of colors as well. Upon acquiring a new Parakeet, you may notice he is a bit afraid of you.
Robin	toutouwai	*	In winter, the robin puffs up its plumage to insulate its body against cold winds.
Royal Albatross	toroa	*	There are two species of royal albatross, southern and northern. The southern is slightly larger than the northern. At sea it can be distinguished from the northern by its white upper-wings with black edges and tips, whereas the upper-wings of the northern are completely black. Both species have a black cutting edge to their upper mandible, which sets them apart from adults of the closely related wandering albatross. Juvenile royal albatross have black flecks on their upper-parts.
Kiwi	kiwi	*	The kiwi is a curious bird: it cannot fly, has loose, hair-like feathers, strong legs and no tail. Mostly nocturnal, they are most commonly forest dwellers, making daytime dens and nests in burrows, hollow logs or under dense vegetation. Kiwi are the only bird to have nostrils at the end of its very long bill which is used to probe in the ground, sniffing out invertebrates to eat, along with some fallen fruit. It also has one of the largest egg-to-body weight ratios of any bird - the egg averages 15 per cent of the female's body weight (compared to two per cent for the ostrich).
Kakapo	Tahu	*	Once kakapo existed throughout New Zealand, and once it was one of our most common birds. Now it is one of our rarest..There are only 131 kakapo in the world - and they all have names. Some of them are funny names like Sinbad, Nora and Richard Henry. They all live on the islands at the bottom of the South Island, and in Fiordland. Our giant, nocturnal parrot has evolved some unusual habits that make it very special. First off, they generally only breed in years when the rimu tree or kahikatea tree is fruiting (every 2-3 years). That’s so they can get super-fat, so that they can run around feeding their chicks.The male makes a special bowl, and then fills his chest pouch with air and then lets out an almighty ‘boom’. This boom carries for up to five kilometres, and attracts females from across the land. The female will then watch him boom, and decide whether he would be a good mate. This type of mating is called 'lek mating' - it's when birds use an area to perform for courtship. Trouble is, the male kakapo isn’t a stay-at-home type - the female does all the work. She incubates the eggs and then when they’ve hatched she has to go and find food, leaving her chicks alone. This makes them an easy midnight snack for predators, such as rats, possums and stoats. The kakapo is the ... • Heaviest parrot in the world. • Only flightless parrot. • Only nocturnal parrot. • Only parrot where the male has inflatable thoracic sacs. • Only parrot to have a lek mating system If there was a "Guinness Book of Bird Records", the kakapo would be a star!