New Zealand Quail
Encyclopedia
The New Zealand Quail or koreke (the Māori
name), has been extinct since 1875. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Joseph Banks
when he visited New Zealand on James Cook
's first voyage. The first specimen was collected in 1827 by Jean René Constant Quoy
and Joseph Paul Gaimard
on Dumont D'Urville's voyage. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the Australia
n Stubble Quail
, which would then be named Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis as it was only scientifically described after the New Zealand birds were.
Research was conducted between 2007 and 2009 into whether the quails on Tiritiri Matangi Island
– which was spared the worst impact of introduced predators
– may be a surviving population of this species, or koreke-Brown Quail
(Coturnix ypsilophora) hybrids. This two year genetic study showed instead that the quail species on Tiritiri Matangi island is the Australian Coturnix ypsilophora. Sequences were derived for all quail species within the Australian and New Zealand Coturnix sp, complex. A neighbour joining phylogenetic distance tree was constructed in PAUP4 with 1000 bootstrap replications conducted to determine the strength of groupings. The sequences used for the tree were derived from 3 separate mitochondrial control region sequences. This tree analysis also showed a close phylogeneic relationship between the New Zealand quail Coturnix novaezelandiae and the Australian stubble quail Coturnix pectoralis but confirmed that they are separate species.
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
name), has been extinct since 1875. The male and female were similar, except the female was lighter. The first scientist to describe it was Sir Joseph Banks
Joseph Banks
Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, GCB, PRS was an English naturalist, botanist and patron of the natural sciences. He took part in Captain James Cook's first great voyage . Banks is credited with the introduction to the Western world of eucalyptus, acacia, mimosa and the genus named after him,...
when he visited New Zealand on James Cook
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
's first voyage. The first specimen was collected in 1827 by Jean René Constant Quoy
Jean René Constant Quoy
Jean René Constant Quoy was a French zoologist.Along with Joseph Paul Gaimard he served as naturalist aboard La Coquille under Louis Isidore Duperrey during its circumnavigation of the globe , and the Astrolabe under the command of Jules Dumont d'Urville...
and Joseph Paul Gaimard
Joseph Paul Gaimard
Joseph Paul Gaimard was a French naval surgeon and naturalist.Along with Jean René Constant Quoy he served as naturalist on the ships L'Uranie under Louis de Freycinet 1817-1820, and L'Astrolabe under Jules Dumont d'Urville 1826-1829...
on Dumont D'Urville's voyage. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n Stubble Quail
Stubble Quail
The Stubble Quail, Coturnix pectoralis is an Australian quail of the family Phasianidae. It has sometimes been considered conspecific with the extinct New Zealand Quail. In this case, the latter species' name would have priority and the Stubble Quail would become Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis...
, which would then be named Coturnix novaezelandiae pectoralis as it was only scientifically described after the New Zealand birds were.
Research was conducted between 2007 and 2009 into whether the quails on Tiritiri Matangi Island
Tiritiri Matangi Island
Tiritiri Matangi Island lies in the Hauraki Gulf of New Zealand, east of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula in the North Island and north east of Auckland. The island is an open nature reserve managed under the supervision of the Department of Conservation and is noted for its bird life, including kiwi...
– which was spared the worst impact of introduced predators
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
– may be a surviving population of this species, or koreke-Brown Quail
Brown Quail
The Brown Quail , also known as Swamp Quail, is an Australasian true quail of the family Phasianidae.The Brown Quail is distributed in agricultural areas, wet grasslands, shrublands and freshwater wetlands across much of New Guinea and the Lesser Sunda Islands as well as in northern, eastern,...
(Coturnix ypsilophora) hybrids. This two year genetic study showed instead that the quail species on Tiritiri Matangi island is the Australian Coturnix ypsilophora. Sequences were derived for all quail species within the Australian and New Zealand Coturnix sp, complex. A neighbour joining phylogenetic distance tree was constructed in PAUP4 with 1000 bootstrap replications conducted to determine the strength of groupings. The sequences used for the tree were derived from 3 separate mitochondrial control region sequences. This tree analysis also showed a close phylogeneic relationship between the New Zealand quail Coturnix novaezelandiae and the Australian stubble quail Coturnix pectoralis but confirmed that they are separate species.
Geographic range and habitat
Terrestrial and temperate, this species inhabited lowland tussock grassland and open fernlands.External links
- Koreke, the New Zealand Quail (with pictures, article, taxonomy, & description).
- 3D view of specimens RMNH 110.051 and RMNH 110.052 at NaturalisNaturalisNaturalis is the national natural history museum of the Netherlands, based in Leiden. It originated from the merger of the Rijksmuseum van Natuurlijke Historie and the Rijksmuseum van Geologie en Mineralogie in 1984. In 1986 it was decided that the museum had to become a public museum and a new...
, Leiden (requires QuickTimeQuickTimeQuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and...
browser plugin). - New Zealand Quail / Koreke. Coturnix novaezelandiae. by Paul Martinson. Artwork produced for the book Extinct Birds of New Zealand, by Alan Tennyson, Te Papa Press, Wellington, 2006
- The Quail (male and female) Coturnix Novae Zealandie by Johannes Keulemans in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
- New Zealand Quail by George Lodge, 1913 in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa