Native Birds of New Zealand

takahe

Takahē or notornis – a bird of the rail family, indigenous to New Zealand.

Thought to be extinct, due to hunting by Māori. It was not named or described by Europeans until 1847, and then only from fossil bones.

Lake Orbell, Fiordland National Park, New Zealand

It was then rediscovered by Dr G. Orbell in 1948. In the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland National Park.

Managed since then the only remaining population in the world has grown.

There have been ups and downs. Currently the population by the lake number more than 200. Translocation has also been happening to other safe areas in New Zealand. It is still at risk, but on a steady path to larger numbers.

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