Takahe /Porphyrio hochstetteri Facts

The flightless Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is the largest living member of the Rallidae  family. Its average weight is about 2.75 kg (6 lbs) Haggis' is a people-friendly female Takahe at Maud Island, a restricted-entry DoC island in Pelorus Sound. It is a stocky bird, with reduced wings, strong legs and a massive bill.  

The Takahe could be a rare flightless bird found solely in New Zealand. it had been thought to be extinct within the 1800’s however was rediscovered 1948 in many remote valleys on South Island. It's a plumage of sensible blue and copper-green with giant red bill and a red frontal defend that protrudes out from its head. It feeds by stripping seeds from grasses. It nests on the bottom and lays 2 cream colored eggs with black blotches. The young are black in color with downy feathers. 

Takahes are endangered because ,their habitat has been destroyed for agriculture and construction of buildings, roads, and dams. When New Zealand was 1st discovered by explorers, they brought in several other forms of animals and these animals hunted the Takahe. The Takahe, being flightless and unable to fly away when in peril was quickly destroyed, rather like the Dodo Bird.