South Island Takahe

Porphyrio hochstetteri - Talève takahé du Sud Takahé du Sud

Systematics

Order
:
Gruiformes
Family
:
Rallidés
Genus
:
Porphyrio
Species
:
hochstetteri

Descriptor

Meyer, AB, 1883

Biometrics

Size
: cm
Wingspan
: -
Weight
: -

Geographic range

Distribution

Identification

The South Island Takahe is a rare relic of the flightless avifauna of New Zealand. The species is vegetarian. It is the world's largest living rail, very large and stocky with an enormous red bill topped with a similarly coloured frontal plate. The legs are also red. The head, neck and underside are all a purplish blue, with the back and remiges being olive green. The under tail coverts are white. The South Island Takahe is unable to fly and has very robust legs, its fingers are fitted with sharp nails, something that my knees can vouch for! Both sexes are largely similar, but young ones have a brown-gray plumage before resembling the adults but in duller tones. Its bill, as massive as that of the adults, is of a horn colour and the frontal plate is not yet developed.

Subspecific information monotypic species

Foreign names

Talève takahé du Sud,
Calamón takahe,
tacaé-do-sul,
Takahe,
takahe,
Zuidereilandtakahe,
Takahe,
sydötakahe,
Sørtakahe,
sultánka novozélandská,
slípka novozélandská,
Sydlig Takahe,
takahe,
takahe de l'illa Sud,
takahe południowy,
Такахе,
ナントウタカヘ,
南岛秧鸡,
南島青水雞,

Voice song and cries

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The South Island Takahe does not have a very rich vocabulary. When a pair are separated they utter repeated contact calls that can be transcribed as a rising cloup. The alarm call is a deep and far-carrying boum.

Habitat

Endemic to New Zealand, this species is very threatened. Its original habitat consists of forests but the only truly wild individuals are now confined to alpine meadows and subalpine scrubland, generally above 1000m, even 1500m.

Sub-fossil remains have been found at all altitudes, as well as on the North and South Islands. At present, a small natural population survives in the mountains of Fiordland (south-west of the South Island). It consists of only a few tens of individuals. Other birds have been released on four small islands cleared from terrestrial predators (mainly rats). They frequent meadows or more or less degraded forests, for those that we observed on Tiritiri Matangi.

Behaviour character trait

The South Island Takahe of Tiritiri Matangi are fairly unafraid, some even to the point of boldness. On a late evening when we were sitting on a bench, hoping to hear the cry of a kiwi, one of these large animals jumped onto our laps, its talons piercing through our pants and what was underneath! Truly wild birds are much more subtle and difficult to observe.

When a raptor is detected, the South Island Takahe quickly scurries away. Anxious from a land predator, it stretches out its body horizontally, flaps its wings, and runs away rapidly before finding a safe place. South Island Takahe live in couples and, while they can tolerate neighbors outside of the breeding season, they strongly defend their territory when the time comes. Any foreign South Island Takahe is immediately chased, wings held up and their feathers ruffled. The couples are faithful to one another and to their territory.

Flight

This species is unable to fly.

Dietfeeding habits

The diet is largely vegetable-based. The core of the diet consists of the leaves found at the base of certain tussock plants like the cyperaceous (scirpes).

In winter, South Island Takahe consume the rhizomes of certain ferns. They can also consume a few insects and even some small vertebrates.
The strong beak of the South Island Takahe is adapted to cut and strip the base of tufts of grass so as to access the juicy new shoots, but it must feed almost continuously throughout the day to receive enough nutrition.

Reproduction nesting

The breeding season extends from the beginning of October to the end of December. The nest is a thick and deep cup made of stems of grass.

Both sexes may participate in the construction, but only the female completes it. The laying ranges from 1 to 3 eggs (average 1.7 for 48 layings) incubated for a month by both parents. It even happens that a bird from the previous year participates in the incubation and raising of the young. These are nidifugous. The parents cover them at night and during bad weather periods. The period of dependency is very long, around 4 months.

Geographic range

Originally, the South Island Takahe was reproducing all over the South Island. Its hunting by Mori, predation and the loss of habitat left a relict population in Fiordland's mountains. 4 birds were taken between 1849 and 1898 in the Fiordland region, then the species was considered extinct until its rediscovery in the Murchinson mountains, west of Lake Te Anau, in 1948. A conservation program enabled the reintroduction of South Island Takahes from the reproduction of captive birds from breeding (Burwood Bush) as well as from the populations raised on reserves in the North Island, South Island and on several small islands including Tiritiri Matangi, Motutapu (Hauraki Gulf), Kapiti and Mana (Wellington), Maud (Marlborough Sound).

Threats - protection

IUCN conservation status

Extinct

Threatened

Least
concern

Extinc
in the Wild

Near
threatened

Not
evaluated

EX EW CR EN VU NT LC NE

The wild population counts scarcely more than 150 individuals and the number is highly variable, most likely due to unfavourable weather conditions over some winters.
In 2011-2012, the South Island Takahe population was estimated to be about 276 birds, 110 in Fiordland, 107 in population restoration sites, 11 in captivity presentation sites and 48 in captivity breeding sites.
The South Island Takahe is classified as 'endangered' by BirdLife International. A few dozen (approx. 60) adults live on the four islands where they have been introduced, but these populations are not growing very fast as likely the environment does not suit them. In the mid-20th century, there were still around 300 individuals in Fiordland, however the introduction of the Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) which competes with the South Island Takahe for food, and that of the stoat which preys on chicks, has caused a 50% reduction in the population levels over 60 years. Significant efforts are made to increase the productivity of island pairs. Infertile eggs are removed to induce replacement clutches and thereby increase the number of juveniles. Inter-island exchanges are performed to reduce the inbreeding and additional and better-quality food is distributed. These efforts have seen the one-year survival rate increase from 60 to 90%. This is when they are released to strengthen the wild population.