New Zealand pigeon/kererū
New Zealand's native pigeon, also known as kererū, kūkū and kūkupa and wood pigeon, is the only disperser of large fruits, such as those of karaka and taraire, we have. The disappearance of the kererū would be a disaster for the regeneration of our native forests.
The kererū is a large bird with irridescent green and bronze feathers on its head and a smart white vest. The noisy beat of its wings is a distinctive sound in our forests. The pigeon is found in most lowland native forests of the North, South and Stewart islands and many of their neighbouring islands.
Learn all about New Zealand's native pigeon, the kererū.
Illegal hunting, introduced predators and habitat loss all threaten kererū populations.
DOC is involved in protecting kererū habitat, public awareness programmes to stop the illegal hunting of kererū, and other conservation measures.
There are lots of ways you can protect kererū in your region, including the control of predators, planting certain trees, and ensuring that kererū are not hunted.
This course helps you to identify the 10 New Zealand forest birds most commonly recorded during five minute bird counts.
This video explains why kererū get in trouble and how a very dedicated vet-nurse in a suburb of Dunedin looks after them.
The parea is one of the largest pigeons in the world. Closely related to the kererū, this species dropped to around fifty birds in the 1980s. Learn how people on the Chathams protect it.
Kererū Discovery Project website
Urban Jungle interactive game - download this game from the Kererū Discovery site and build a your own kererū-friendly virtual garden
Pukaha Mount Bruce website
