The South Island takahē is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, which it shares with the recently extinct North Island takahē. The two takahē species are also known as notornis.
Region
New Zealand (South Island and offshore sanctuaries)
Typical Environment
Historically confined to alpine and subalpine tussock grasslands and shrublands of Fiordland, especially in the Murchison Mountains. Today, carefully managed populations also occur on predator-free offshore islands and within fenced mainland sanctuaries, where they use lowland grasslands and wetlands. They prefer tall tussock (e.g., Chionochloa) and sedge-dominated areas with nearby cover for nesting. In natural settings, birds may move to lower elevations and forest edges in winter to access softer vegetation.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1600 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The takahē is a large, flightless rail once thought extinct until its dramatic rediscovery in 1948 in the Murchison Mountains of Fiordland. Intensive conservation, including predator control and translocations to predator-free islands and fenced sanctuaries, has slowly rebuilt its numbers. It has a massive red bill with a prominent frontal shield and shows a distinctive white undertail when alarmed.
The first illustration of the South Island takahē from Gideon and Walter Mantell's notice of the discovery in 1850
Notornis hochstetteri, from Meyer's 1883 description
The colour of both female and male adults is mainly purple-blue with a greenish back and inner wings.
Two juveniles and two adults (with red beaks) at Orokonui Ecosanctuary
Adult feeding a chick
Ringed female South Island takahē at Kapiti Island
South Island takahē released at Maungatautari Restoration Project ecological island, Waikato District, North Island in June 2006
Temperament
wary and territorial
Flight Pattern
flightless; strong runner
Social Behavior
Usually found as monogamous pairs or small family groups with dependent chicks. Nests are ground-based platforms hidden in dense tussock or sedges, typically with 1–2 eggs. Both parents incubate and feed chicks, often presenting finely shredded leaf bases to young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Vocal repertoire includes resonant booming and honking calls used for contact and territorial signaling. Pairs exchange soft clucks and grunts at close range, while alarm calls are sharper and more urgent.
