bulky body; purplish plumage; huge pink bill (New Zealand; 2005-06-30)


Takahe
Porphyrio hochstetteri

Native Range: Australian Region

Notes: a flightless species endemic to New Zealand; the largest member of the rail family (Rallidae); formerly though to be extinct, but rediscovered in 1948, and now small populations are being intensively managed on small islands near the New Zealand coast; eats grass, roots, and insects; formerly indigenous to swamps but now lives only in upland grasslands; monogamous and not sexually dimorphic.

pink legs and feet as well as bill (New Zealand; 2005-06-30)
white undertail coverts (New Zealand; 2005-06-30)

walking on the grass(New Zealand; 2005-06-30)
posing for a head portrait (New Zealand; 2005-06-30)