Facts about kōkako
North Island kōkako
There are two sub-species of kōkako, the North Island kōkako (Callaeas cinerea wilsoni) and the South Island kōkako (C. c. cinerea).
The North Island kōkako is found mainly in mature podocarp-hardwood forests. There are fewer than 400 pairs that occur in several isolated populations in the central and northern North Island. In the last 20 years, there has been a marked decline in numbers of North Island kōkako, although management is reversing that trend in many areas now.
South Island kōkako are currently assumed to be extinct, although it is possible they may survive in low numbers in remote parts of the South Island and Stewart Island.
Kōkako are renowned for the clarity and volume of their song which carries far across the forest. In the early morning, a pair may sing a duet for up to half an hour with other kōkako joining in to form a "bush choir".
Male and female are similar in colour and size (weighing about 230 grams).
They protect large territories (eight hectares) by singing and chasing away invaders.
They eat leaves, fern-fronds, flowers, fruit and invertebrates.
In Maori myth, it was the kōkako that gave Maui water as he fought the sun. The kōkako filled its wattles with water and brought it to Maui. His thirst quenched, Maui rewarded the kōkako by making its legs long and slender, enabling the bird to bound through the forest with ease in search of food.