Takahē

North Island takahē | Moho (Porphyrio mantelli) and South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri)

Takahē, Kāpiti Island, 2024. Photo by Jane Harris CC BY 4.0

Call 

Takahē song (Source: Department of Conservation CC BY 4.0)

Where is home?

In high-altitude tussock and grasslands. They shelter in nearby forests, and also like wetland edges.

How are they doing?

• North Island takahē | Moho are Extinct.

• South Island takahē are Threatened – Nationally Vulnerable to introduced predators, habitat loss, and food competition.

What are they known for?

• The South Island takahē was believed to be extinct (like its North Island cousin) in 1898. The last wild population was discovered in 1948 in remote mountains near Lake Te Anau, Fiordland. This sparked Aotearoa New Zealand’s first and longest running endangered species programme. Species though extinct but rediscovered, like the takahe, are referred to as ‘zombie species’ or ‘lazarus species’.

• Takahē eat a lot of fibre. So much that they can poop up to 9 metres a day. 

• The takahē is a rail (like weka and pūkeko), and is recognised as the largest living rail in the world.

Takahē connections

• The name takahē has its roots in the te reo Māori word takahi – to stamp or trample – describes the strong legs of the takahē used to navigate its bushy environment.

• North Island takahē were known as solitary birds – hence their other name, moho (hermit).