Birds!

 Birds!

Moa 

The name comes from the same Polynesian term for domestic fowl.  So we kind of just refer to these dinosaur-like birds as chickens.  The possible traditional te reo Maori word used when they roamed Aotorea alongside humans was "te kura" meaning red bird.

A size comparison between four moa species and a human: 1. Dinornis novaezealandiae 2. Emeus crassus 3. Anomalopteryx didiformis 4. Dinornis robustus

The moa were kind of wild from an anatomical standpoint. They were completely wingless, they didn’t even have lil vestigial lumps like New Zealand’s other famous flightless bird the kiwi.  Moa feathers are thought to have been less feather-like and more furry, this time similar to modern kiwis, a type of body covering that is more useful for maintaining body temperatures rather than efficient aerodynamics, especially those moa that lived in the colder alpine regions.  

Look at how "furry" the kiwi feathers are.  Photo credit Alina Thiebes. 

Moa were probably hunted to death soon after the Māori settled Aotoerea, possibly as fast as 100 years after hungry humans made landfall.  Before the human threat their only known predator was a giant eagle that clocked in around 30 lbs.  30 lbs of death from above really makes me glad I’m not a tasty morsel for any sky beasts.  A single moa could easily make a meal for the whole family, the largest moa species clocked in around 12 feet tall and 500lbs.  What?!  Modern ostriches are 9 feet at their tallest, and around 300 lbs at their heaviest.  As someone who is scared to bike past a Canadian goose I am almost glad these birds aren’t around anymore.  Researching moa has really made me confront some of my bird fears.  

Some species of moa were closer to the size of a turkey, which is more reasonable.  Some research I read suggests that the moa brain size ranged from 17-30ml.  This is hilariously small, the equivalent of 1-2 tablespoons.  Bird the size of a small dinosaur with a brain the size of the loose tea leaves you need to add to the teapot.  

Before the kiwi bird became a symbol for New Zealand the country was actually known as the Land of the Moa.

 

Thanks to Geoff McKay on Flickr for this photo.

Black Swan - Kakīānau

They swanned over from Australia.  They are gorgeous and intimidate the crap out of me.  They do manage to look pretty silly when they dive underwater and their butts are in the air since they have to keep their little legs paddling wildly to maintain the vertical balance and keep their head under water.

Pukeko - purple swamphen

People here seem so unimpressed by the purple swamphens, but I find them strikingly pretty and even better they make me laugh. They have a chickeny screech, gait, and they tend to flock together. They strike me very much as wild chickens, and I was impressed to learn that they came to NZ by flying over from Australia around a thousand years ago.  

They won Bird of the Year in 2011. 

Pukeko photos courtesy of Stefan and Kathrin Marks

Photos courtesy of Geoff McKay's Flickr.

Just a little guy!

Piwakawaka aka tīwakawaka or piwaiwaka (New Zeakand fantail)

Look at this dandified little darling, wearing a suit with a coattail jacket and totally fearless, landing on a branch just a meter from me multiple times on my walk. Flycatcher, so the speed and courage probably come in handy when staring down a winged insect bigger than its head. In mythology the fantail is a messenger between Māori people and the gods, often bringing news of death. 

Bird of the Year winner 2006.

Korimako - New Zealand bellbird aka makomako, and kōmako. 

Nectar feeders, so they also act as important pollinators.  Their music is incredible, a full, fruity round tone. They have a laser zap noise and a bell-run-through-synthesizer song, both of which could make for amazing video game noises.

Criminally they have never won Bird of the Year.

Sweet face and a mean beak.  Photo courtesy of Bernard Spragg.

Kea

These alpine (!) parrots are known to be very intelligent and curious. They are unlike all other parrots I am familiar with in their alpine environment which is fairly harsh.  Since there isn’t a lush fruit forest for them to feed off of in the high altitudes they often forage for food by digging, their diet includes big juicy grubs called huhus ( people also eat these sometimes).   

Kea intelligence and cunning according to the New Zealand Department of Conservation:

• A kea learnt to turn on the water tap at Aspiring Hut campground.

• A kea locked a mountaineer inside the toilet at Mueller Hut.

• A kea learnt to use tools to set off stoat traps to get the eggs.

• A kea was seen having a tug-of-war with a cat over a rabbit carcass.

• A kea that was being attacked by magpies hid behind a tramper who fended them off.

For years Kea were reviled by local mountainside shepherds because they could perch on the back of a sheep and peck at them, creating wounds from which they could drink blood and snap up bites of fresh mutton and lamb. One description I read said rather fancifully that they like to dig down deep until they get to the fat capsule that cushions the sheep’s kidneys. This is obviously not good for the sheep and thus not good for the shepherd. That should teach sheep not to let a big bird with a killer sharp beak hang out on their back, I’m on the parrot’s side here.  Some damage found in moa bones suggests that kea may have gone beak to belly with those behemoths, too.

Bird of the Year Winner 2017.

I’m about to embark on a weekend of hiking a few bird sanctuaries on the north end of the south island, so I hope to spy a few more birds.  Maybe even a tieke, or South Island saddleback, a species with numbers around 650. Stay tuned for more birds!