The breeding season of weka changes with conditions, but when food is abundant they can raise up to four broods over the whole year, meaning a pair may lay four sets of eggs in twelve months. Year-round breeding has even produced as many as fourteen young at a single site, showing their high reproductive potential. Their eggs measure about 57.7 mm by 39.9 mm and both parents share incubation duties.
The Stewart Island subspecies of weka, which is smaller than its mainland relatives, has been observed hunting the eggs and chicks of the sooty shearwater, a seabird that nests on the island's coastal cliffs. This behaviour demonstrates that the bird will actively raid seabird colonies, taking both eggs and vulnerable young.
Weka are attracted to anything that glints, and their curiosity often leads them into human settlements where they rummage through houses and camps for food scraps or any unfamiliar, transportable item. They have a particular penchant for metallic trinkets, frequently stealing shiny objects they encounter. This habit makes them notorious pilferers of glittering items, especially in areas where they are relatively common.
Weka are host to two species of feather lice (Rallicola harrisoni and Pseudomenopon pilgrimi) which show the same north-south population structure seen in their hosts. These parasites mirror the north-south genetic split found in the birds themselves.
The relatively large, reddish-brown beak is about 5 cm (2.0 in) long, stout and tapered, and is used as a weapon. Stewart Island weka (G. scotti) have been observed preying on sooty shearwater (Puffinus griseus) eggs and chicks.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
In the misty dawn of New Zealand's forest, a diminutive figure darts with stealthy purpose, the weka's sturdy legs a blur as it forages for sustenance with an air of quiet intensity. With feathers a mottled mosaic of brown and grey, this plump, flightless bird blends seamlessly into the underbrush, its bright, inquisitive eyes ever-vigilant for signs of danger or opportunity. As it moves through its domain, the weka's curious nature and fearless attitude render it a compelling, if elusive, presence in the shadows of the wild.
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