North Island Kokako

(Callaeas cinerea)

Live:: Endemic to New Zealand.

Habitat: Scattered populations in lowland and mountain forest with a diverse range of food plants.

Diet:: Mainly herbivorous but will eat small insects in summer. Berries of Totara, miro, matai, kahikatea, rimu and other berries., leaves, ferns, orchids, mosses, podocarp cones.
Zoo diet: porridge mix, chopped fruit, greens, berries plus self-feeding in FreeFlight Sanctuary.
In FreeFlight Sanctuary the feed stations and surrounds are cleaned weekly.

Breeding: November – December.
Nest: large, well above ground, in dense cover. Woven with sticks and twigs and with a large base which becomes an extension of the nest as the chicks grow and spread the smaller upper nest.
Eggs: 1-3 cream with brown speckles. Incubated ~ 20 days by female. Male will feed the female

Conservation Status: The South Island Kokako is now extinct. The North Island species is classified as endangered. Habitat loss and introduced predators/competitors are the main threats.

Physical characteristics:
Size ~ 30cm. Female slightly smaller than male.
Olive to steel- grey mainly, with black band from eye to eye.
Sky- blue wattles (young have pink wattles.)
Beak, legs and feet black. Dark brown iris.

Call: A large range of calls, including flute like notes, buzzes, clicks and a harsh alarm call.

Habits: Weak flyers. Sedentary. Holds food in one foot and balances to eat. Pair-bonds are strong, reinforced by display, feeding and preening. Territorial but fighting is rare – they rely on song and mutual avoidance.

Chicks: dark grey down and are fed by both parents. Fledge at ~ 34 days and stay together into Autumn