Takahē

The takahē is a chunky, colourful bird from New Zealand with a story that feels almost like a fairy tale. It is a big, round bird with glowing purple-blue feathers, a greenish back, and a thick, bright red beak. The takahē is the largest living member of the rail family, and like the kiwi it cannot fly. Instead it strides about on strong red legs through the grass.

For a long time, people believed the takahē was gone forever. Nobody had seen one for many years, and it was thought to be extinct. Then, on 20 November 1948, a determined doctor named Geoffrey Orbell led an expedition high into the Murchison Mountains near Lake Te Anau, following mysterious footprints. There, to everyone’s amazement and delight, he found living takahē.

Takahē are plant eaters, or herbivores. They live in cool alpine grasslands and love to munch on tough tussock grasses, using their strong beaks to pull out the soft, juicy parts at the base of each stem. You might spot one gripping a clump of grass in its foot like a hand, nibbling away happily in the sunshine.

Takahē grow to about 63 centimetres long and can live for around 18 years in the wild, or even a little longer in safe sanctuaries. Every single one is precious, because there are still only a small number of these special birds left in the world.

Today the takahē is endangered, but its story is a hopeful one. Thanks to careful conservation work, there are now around 500 takahē, and the population is growing by about 8 percent every year. They are protected in Fiordland and on special predator-free islands, where kind rangers help this famous comeback bird thrive.