Takahe

Fascinating facts about the Takahe

• In 1948, the takahe was declared extinct. Then in 1948—the same year—a small population of 300 was discovered alive in a remote South Island valley, making it one of only two bird species to return from the dead. Today fewer than 500 exist in the wild, all descended from that single rediscovered population.
• A takahe chick weighs just 8 grams at birth but grows into a 2.7-kilogram flightless giant with legs thick as fence posts and a beak like a parrot's—except it eats grass, not seeds. This awkward design, impossible for flying but perfect for crushing plant stems, hints at an ancestor that once soared through New Zealand's forests millions of years ago.
• The takahe's mating call sounds like a pig squealing amplified through a megaphone—a 'whoop-whoop-oooop' that carries across mountain valleys and can last 20 seconds without a breath. Pairs duet together, their voices overlapping to strengthen the bond that lasts a lifetime.
• Takahe must eat 1.2 kilograms of grass each day, making them reliant on snow tussock grasslands that exist only above 600 metres elevation in Fiordland. Climate warming is shifting that treeline upward by roughly 4 metres per decade—shrinking their home at both the top and bottom edges simultaneously.
• When a takahe chick hatches, it's brooded by its parents for only 3 days before it wanders into the grass to fend for itself, pecking for food while still covered in downy feathers. Yet it takes two full years to reach adult size, meaning juvenile takahe are vulnerable targets for stoats and rats for longer than almost any other New Zealand bird—a survival math that explains why fewer than one in ten chicks survive to adulthood.

At a glance

About the Takahe

In the mist-shrouded valleys of New Zealand's southern isles, the takahe moves with deliberate, unhurried pace, its sturdy legs propelling it through the dense undergrowth with a soft rustle of leaves and snapping of twigs. This enigmatic bird, once thought to be extinct, now teeters on the brink of survival, its remarkable story a testament to the enduring power of conservation efforts. As it forages for tender shoots and seeds, the takahe's iridescent feathers glimmer in the dappled light, a fleeting glimpse of beauty in a world where its very existence hangs precariously in the balance.

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