Today, I visited an ecosanctuary called Orokonui, that is close to Dunedin. There are all sorts of native birds there in a pest free area protected by a predator fence. It was a wet, foggy drizzly day and all the birds were pretty bedraggled looking. My favourite was the takahe - they're rather like over fattened pukeko! Takahe were thought to be extinct, but a few were rediscovered in 1948 , in the Murchison Mountains, South Island, NZ. There is a big takahe recovery programme underway and some have been released onto predator free islands and ecosancturaries such as this one.
Great capture --and a strange looking bird with lovely colouration in his black feathers --I hope the breed will not become extinct and will have the chance to breed again !
He's had a night on the tiles!! I went round a place like this near Cambridge name began with an M but can't remember without looking it up. A fascinating place & so good that these endangered birds & mammals are being protected.
Ian