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10 animals on the edge of extinction you didn't know about no. 9 - South Island takahē

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Hello

Today we’re talking about the South Island takahē, porphyrio hochstetteri. They are flightless birds, endemic to New Zealand.


Takahē are brightly coloured and weigh 2.3-3.8 kg. They have red legs and a large red beak. Their feathers are coloured blue and green. They have wings, but these are only used during courtship or rivalry displays. They are territorial, with one family’s territory reaching anywhere from 4 ha to 100 ha (0,04-1km^2). Pairs will live in the same territory each year. They breed once a year and will raise 1-3 chicks (normally 2) each year.  Both parents raise the chicks together. 

In the wild, takahē live in native grasslands and have a lifespan of 16-18 years. If snow covers the ground then they will move into nearby forests. They eat tussock grasses, sedges and sometimes rushes. But they are opportunists, so they will occasionally go for insects or even ducklings and small lizards! In captivity they live for 20-22 years, so 2-6 years longer than in the wild. 


Unfortunately these birds are still classified as endangered after making an incredible comeback. Takahē were of important cultural, spiritual and traditional meaning to the native tribes of New Zealand. But they were considered extinct in 1898. Although we don’t know the exact reasons for why their population declined so much, popular theories include hunting by native tribes, hunting by European settlers and pests such as cats, rats, possums being introduced to New Zealand by European settlers. In 1948, fifty years later, more individuals were found to have survived in a sheltered area. This last population has been taken care of and so starts the longest running conservation plan in New Zealand. Since then, their population has increased to around 500 (although sources vary greatly). With the help of indigenous people they have been reintroduced into the wild in several locations. They are multiple programs focusing on trapping and removing those invasive species originally introduced to New Zealand by European settlers and this approach is believed to be effective at not only keeping takahē numbers up but also helping other native species that face similar problems.


We hope you enjoyed this post! See you next week

Your Green World Blog Team💚

Sources:

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“takahe”, owned by Geoffrey Marquie (on flickr.com), is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

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