KōkakoNorth Island Kōkako

Kōkako | North Island kokako (Callaeas wilsoni)

North Island kōkako, 2005. Photo by Douglas Mak. CC BY 2.0 via Flickr

Call

North Island kōkako call (Source: Department of Conservation CC BY 4.0)

Where is home?

North Island kōkako populations are mainly forests in the northern half of the Te Ika a Māui.

How are they doing?

North Island kōkako: Threatened – Nationally Increasing
South Island kōkako: Threatened – Nationally Critical (likely extinct)
Vulnerable to introduced predators, food reduction.

What are they known for?

• The South Island kōkako has not been seen since 2007, and is likely extinct. If any remain, they are in extremely low numbers.

• Kōkako have a slow haunting back-and-forth song, once called ‘rare forest music’ by 19th century ornithologist Walter Buller. They sing to defend their territory, and male and female kōkako sing the longest known songbird duet anywhere in the world.

• Though flighted, kōkako wings are small and they mostly get around by jumping and hopping through the forest with their strong legs, earning them the nickname “squirrel birds”.

Kōkako connections

• Kōkako uru i te wehi
  A wattlebird entering fearlessly

  This whakataukī is a tongue-in-cheek jab, originally referring to a man joining another tribe's war party. The shy kōkako would never do such a thing, so this whakataukī refers to someone being somewhere they don’t belong, or have no business in.

• Kōkako are well known for their beautiful song. In one pūrākau, Māui asked the different birds for water. The kōkako agreed, and filled its ears with water. Māui rewarded the bird by stretching its legs so it could move with swift hops. The ‘water’ can be seen in the kōkako’s blue wattles.