Kōkako

We love Manurewa and Manurewa loves birds, so we just knew we had to get involved in Bird of the Year. We think the rare North Island kōkako deserves to soar the highest amongst all the birds. Their distinctive look and haunting song sets them apart.

They are large songbirds with a blue-grey body, a striking black mask. They have long, strong legs and a long down-curved tail. Their songs can often last over one hour between pairs, among the longest known of any songbirds in the world. They even have different regional dialects.

In Māori legend, the kōkako filled its wattles with water and brought it to Māui as he fought the sun. Māui rewarded the bird by making its legs long and slender, enabling it to bound through the forest with ease.

The once endangered population is slowly recovering, now with at least 2,300 pairs; but still faces moderate risk of extinction, dependent on on-going rat/possum pest control.

Kōkako can be seen in Waitākere and Hunua, or on Tiritiri Matangi, an island sanctuary in the Hauraki Gulf open to the public.