Takahe
The Takahe is a large, flightless bird native to New Zealand, notable for its vibrant blue and green plumage and distinctive red bill. Standing about 25 inches tall and weighing between five to six pounds, these birds are well-adapted for running rather than flying, with strong legs and large feet designed for quick movement on the ground. Takahe primarily inhabit high-altitude grasslands in the Murchison and Kepler ranges, where they feed on various grasses and occasionally insects.
Once thought to be extinct, conservation efforts have helped their population recover to around 500 individuals, but they remain classified as endangered. Takahe form lifelong pair bonds and exhibit unique behaviors, such as vocalizations that resemble donkey braying to communicate with their mate. They build nests from soft grasses to raise their young, though only about half of the chicks survive due to food scarcity, particularly in winter months. With natural predators such as dogs and deer being managed in their protected habitats, the Takahe's future continues to rely on ongoing conservation efforts.
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Takahe
About 500 takahes have barely managed to survive extinction. Puppets of mother takahes are used to raise chicks in captivity before they are released in the wild. Although these small turkey-sized birds cannot fly, they are very fast runners.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Gruiformes
Family: Rallidae
Genus: Porphyrio
Species: Hochstetteri
Takahes live in protected areas of New Zealand in animal preserves and in areas protected from predators. Their native habitat is high in the mountain valleys of New Zealand's Murchison and Kepler ranges, at altitudes of 6,000 feet (1,800 meters), where the takahes once lived in alpine grasslands near small lakes. They are large birds with short legs and plump bodies, and they are about the size of small turkeys. They stand around 25 inches (63 1/2 centimeters) tall and weigh five to six pounds (two to three kilograms). They have long been admired for their rich, dark blue and green plumage, or feathering, which has a white patch underneath the tail feathers. Their large feet with long, separated toes are reddish brown and are strong for fast running, since the birds are unable to fly. The takahes' large, red bills are thick and rise high onto their foreheads, giving them a flat red shield between their eyes.
Takahes are primarily grass-eaters. They tear up tufts of grass and snip off the tender, new growth at the bases of the blades, after which they throw away the rest of the grass. They also consume grass seeds, which they scrape from the grass stalks. During the winter, the takahes move down the mountains into the grasslands where snow has not covered all the food sources of herbs, ferns, and forest grasses. This grass is not as nutritious as the grass farther up the mountain, and the birds also face competition from grass-eaters such as red deer. Although they are almost exclusively herbivores, or plant-eating birds, they may occasionally eat insects.
When a male and female takahe reach the age of two years, they pair and form a bond with each other which lasts the rest of their lives. They mate each year during September and October. They build a nest from a pile of soft grass stalks and then pull the tall grass around the nest over the nest to cover it. One to three cream-colored eggs with brown and gray spots rest in the nest underneath the warm body of their mother. After one month, the chicks hatch, covered with black downy feathers and with white-tipped black bills. One or two days after birth they are able to leave the nest but receive food from their parents for a few weeks until they are independent and fledge, or leave the nest, after three months. Because food is difficult to find during the winter, only about half of the chicks survive.
A pair of takahes claim a territory which may cover up to 1 1/2 square miles (3 1/2 square kilometers). When the two become separated within their territory, they call to each other with a series of long, deep notes which sound like a donkey's braying. When they find each other again, they dance and show their feathers. They also perform this display when another takahe trespasses into their territory.
Domestic dogs, red deer, and stoats are natural enemies of the takahe although all animals now live in protected areas. The life span of the takahe can be up to 20 years. They have been declared extinct more than once in the past, but their populations have rebounded to a few hundred birds. They remain an endangered species.
Bibliography
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. “South Island Takahe Porphyrio Hochstetteri.” eBird, 2024, ebird.org/species/takahe3. Accessed 10 May 2024.
“Takahē - New Zealand Bird Species.” Auckland Zoo, 2024, www.aucklandzoo.co.nz/animals/takahe. Accessed 10 May 2024.