Takahe
Encyclopedia
The Takahē or South Island Takahē, Porphyrio hochstetteri is a flightless bird
indigenous to New Zealand
and belonging to the rail family
. It was thought to be extinct after the last four known specimens were taken in 1898. However, after a carefully planned search effort the bird was rediscovered by Geoffrey Orbell
near Lake Te Anau
in the Murchison Mountains, South Island
, on November 20, 1948.
The specific scientific name commemorates the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter
.
A related species
, the North Island Takahē
(P. mantelli) or mōho is extinct and only known from skeletal remains. Both forms were long assumed to be subspecies of mantelli, and were usually placed in the genus
Notornis. However, it has been determined that the differences between Porphyrio and Notornis were insufficient for separating the latter, whereas the differences between the North and South Island forms justified the splitting into two species, as each evolved independently towards flightlessness.
family. Its overall length averages 63 cm (24.8 in) and its average weight is about 2.75 kg (6 lbs), ranging from 1.8-4.2 kg (4-9.2 lbs). The standing height is around 50 cm (19.7 in). It is a stocky bird, with reduced wings, strong legs and a massive bill.
The adult Takahē is mainly purple-blue in color, with a greenish back and inner wings. It has a red frontal shield and red-based pink bill. The legs are pink. Sexes are similar, the females being slightly smaller, but young birds have mainly pale brown plumage
. This is a noisy species with a loud clowp call.
, Maud
and Mana
, where they can be viewed by the public. Additionally, captive Takahē can be viewed at Te Anau
and Mt Bruce
wildlife centres. In June 2006 a pair of Takahē were relocated to the Maungatautari Restoration Project
. In January 2011 a small number of Takahe were released in Zealandia, Wellington.
In total there were 225 remaining birds, but in July 2008, a Department of Conservation worker shot one on Mana
Island
, after mistaking it for a pukeko during a cull.
is a significant problem. The recovery efforts are hampered especially by low fertility of the remaining birds; genetic analyses have been employed to select captive breeding stock in an effort to preserve the maximum genetic diversity.
s. It is territorial. The chick survival rate is 73-97%.
Flightless bird
Flightless birds are birds which lack the ability to fly, relying instead on their ability to run or swim. They are thought to have evolved from flying ancestors. There are about forty species in existence today, the best known being the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi, and penguin...
indigenous to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and belonging to the rail family
Rallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
. It was thought to be extinct after the last four known specimens were taken in 1898. However, after a carefully planned search effort the bird was rediscovered by Geoffrey Orbell
Geoffrey Orbell
Geoffrey Buckland Orbell was a doctor and keen tramper/bush walker best known for the rediscovery of the Takahē in 1948. The Takahē was widely thought to be extinct but Orbell suspected it might survive. While taking time off from his Invercargill practice to search for the Takahē, he discovered a...
near Lake Te Anau
Lake Te Anau
Lake Te Anau is in the southwestern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. Its name was originally Te Ana-au, Maori for 'The cave of swirling water'. The lake covers an area of 344 km², making it the second-largest lake by surface area in New Zealand and the largest in the South Island...
in the Murchison Mountains, South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
, on November 20, 1948.
The specific scientific name commemorates the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Ferdinand von Hochstetter
Christian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter was a German geologist.He was born at Esslingen, Württemberg, the son of Christian Ferdinand Friedrich Hochstetter , a clergyman and professor at Bonn, who was also a botanist and mineralogist...
.
A related species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, the North Island Takahē
North Island Takahe
The North Island Takahē or Mōho, Porphyrio mantelli, is an extinct rail that was found in the North Island of New Zealand. This flightless species is known from subfossils from a number of archeological sites and from one possible 1894 record...
(P. mantelli) or mōho is extinct and only known from skeletal remains. Both forms were long assumed to be subspecies of mantelli, and were usually placed in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Notornis. However, it has been determined that the differences between Porphyrio and Notornis were insufficient for separating the latter, whereas the differences between the North and South Island forms justified the splitting into two species, as each evolved independently towards flightlessness.
Description
The Takahē is the largest living member of the RallidaeRallidae
The rails, or Rallidae, are a large cosmopolitan family of small to medium-sized birds. The family exhibits considerable diversity and the family also includes the crakes, coots, and gallinules...
family. Its overall length averages 63 cm (24.8 in) and its average weight is about 2.75 kg (6 lbs), ranging from 1.8-4.2 kg (4-9.2 lbs). The standing height is around 50 cm (19.7 in). It is a stocky bird, with reduced wings, strong legs and a massive bill.
The adult Takahē is mainly purple-blue in color, with a greenish back and inner wings. It has a red frontal shield and red-based pink bill. The legs are pink. Sexes are similar, the females being slightly smaller, but young birds have mainly pale brown plumage
Plumage
Plumage refers both to the layer of feathers that cover a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage vary between species and subspecies and can also vary between different age classes, sexes, and season. Within species there can also be a...
. This is a noisy species with a loud clowp call.
Distribution and habitat
The species is still present in the location where it was rediscovered in the Murchison Mountains. Small numbers have also been successfully translocated to four predator-free offshore islands, Tiritiri Matangi, KapitiKapiti Island
-External links:* , Department of Conservation* * , Nature Coast Enterprise *...
, Maud
Maud Island
Maud Island, originally called Te Hoiere in the Māori language, is the second-largest island in the Marlborough Sounds on the northern tip of the South Island of New Zealand, with a total area of .-Fauna:...
and Mana
Mana Island, New Zealand
Mana Island is the smaller of two islands that lie off the southwest coast of the North Island of New Zealand . The island’s name is an abbreviation of Te Mana o Kupe, "the mana of Kupe"....
, where they can be viewed by the public. Additionally, captive Takahē can be viewed at Te Anau
Te Anau
Te Anau is a town in the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the eastern shore of Lake Te Anau in Fiordland. Lake Te Anau is the largest lake in the South Island and second only within New Zealand to Lake Taupo. The 2001 census recorded the town's population as 1,857...
and Mt Bruce
Mt Bruce Wildlife Centre
Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre is a wildlife restoration organisation based around a protected forest area in New Zealand's Wairarapa district.-History:...
wildlife centres. In June 2006 a pair of Takahē were relocated to the Maungatautari Restoration Project
Maungatautari Restoration Project
The Maungatautari Restoration Project is the largest ecological restoration project in New Zealand, located near Cambridge in the Waikato region in the central North Island of New Zealand....
. In January 2011 a small number of Takahe were released in Zealandia, Wellington.
In total there were 225 remaining birds, but in July 2008, a Department of Conservation worker shot one on Mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
Island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
, after mistaking it for a pukeko during a cull.
Conservation
The near-extinction of the Takahē is due to a number of factors: over-hunting, loss of habitat and introduced predators have all played a part. Since the species is long-lived, reproduces slowly, takes several years to reach maturity, and had a large range that has drastically contracted in comparatively few generations, inbreeding depressionInbreeding depression
Inbreeding depression is the reduced fitness in a given population as a result of breeding of related individuals. It is often the result of a population bottleneck...
is a significant problem. The recovery efforts are hampered especially by low fertility of the remaining birds; genetic analyses have been employed to select captive breeding stock in an effort to preserve the maximum genetic diversity.
Behaviour
The Takahē is found in alpine grasslands habitats. It eats grass, shoots and insects. The Takahē can often be seen to pluck a snow grass stalk, taking it into one claw and eating only the soft lower parts which is a favourite food. The rest is discarded.Breeding
This species builds a bulky nest under bushes and scrub and lays two buff eggEgg (biology)
An egg is an organic vessel in which an embryo first begins to develop. In most birds, reptiles, insects, molluscs, fish, and monotremes, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum, which is expelled from the body and permitted to develop outside the body until the developing...
s. It is territorial. The chick survival rate is 73-97%.
External links
- Takahē videos on the Internet Bird Collection