The kokako (Callaeas cinerea) is one of three species of
wattle-bird that are (or were) endemic to New Zealand (the other two are the
saddleback and the huia, the latter of which is believed to be extinct). The
wattle is a small piece of coloured flesh at the base of the bill.
The kokako is found mainly on North Island, with the much
smaller population on South Island being confined to a few isolated areas.
North Island kokakos have blue wattles whereas those on South Island have
orange wattles.
Appearance
The kokako is about 15 inches long with blue-grey foliage. As
well as having wattles, wattle-birds are distinguished by the dense dark
feathering they have between eye and bill. There is a light-coloured line that,
in effect, joins the wattles and is seen around the back of the eyes and across
the head. The bill is short, powerful and finch-like in shape. Males and
females are similar in appearance.
Behaviour
Many people regard the kokako as New Zealand’s finest
song-bird, the song being varied between two organ-like notes and three
whistling “pips”. The song is highly resonant and can be heard several miles
away.
The kokako feeds on the fruit, flowers and leaves of the
dense woodland where it lives. It gathers these in a similar way to how the
treecreeper hunts for insects, namely by climbing a tree from base to top then
gliding down to the base of the next tree. Apart from that, it is an infrequent
flyer.
Breeding
Breeding takes place between November and March, although
pairs stay together throughout the year. The nest is made from sticks and twigs
among the thick foliage of the canopy or in the fork of a large tree.
Two or three eggs are laid and these are incubated for up to
18 days by the female bird. The chicks are fed in the nest by both parents until
they fledge at around 35 days. However, they remain close to the parents’
territory for several months, during which parental feeding continues.
Depending on food supply, a second or even a third brood can
be raised during a season.
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