| South Island kōkako | |
|---|---|
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| North Island kōkako (front) and South Island kōkako (rear) | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Callaeidae |
| Genus: | Callaeas |
| Species: | C. cinereus |
| Binomial name | |
| Callaeas cinereus (Gmelin, JF, 1788) | |
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Estimated maximum distribution Estimated distribution around time of European settlement | |
| Synonyms | |
C. cinerea cinerea | |
TheSouth Island kōkako (Callaeas cinereus) is a forest birdendemic to theSouth Island andStewart Island ofNew Zealand. Unlike its close relative, theNorth Island kōkako (C. wilsoni), it has largely orange wattles, with only a small patch of blue at the base, and was also known as theorange-wattled crow (though it was not acorvid). The last accepted sighting in 2007 was the first considered genuine since 1967, although there have been several other unauthenticated reports - (and see note about search campaign below).[3]
In 2012 theDepartment of Conservation revised its criteria for species extinction to be consistent with international standards, meaning that "there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died", and only after "exhaustive surveys" of its known range have failed. After this change, the possible sighting of the bird near Reefton in 2007 was accepted. That decision was not unanimous: the panel chair didn't believe it, and doesn't believe that the bird still exists despite his name being associated with its 'rediscovery'.[4] A department report said that the species was most likely “functionally extinct”, but “we are not convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the last individual of these taxa have died”.
The South Island kōkako wasformally described in 1788 by the German naturalistJohann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition ofCarl Linnaeus'sSystema Naturae. He coined thebinomial nameGlaucopis cinerea.[5][6] The specific epithetcinereus isLatin meaning "ash-grey" or "ash-coloured".[7] Gmelin based his description on the "cinereous wattle-bird" that had been described and illustrated in 1781 by the English ornithologistJohn Latham in his bookA General Synopsis of Birds. Latham had examined a specimen in theLeverian Museum in London that had come from New Zealand.[8]
TheNorth Island kōkako was formerly considered as subspecies ofCallaeas cinerea, but since 2001 North Island birds have been officially recognised asC. wilsoni, and genetic evidence confirms their difference.[9] Although the genusCallaeas is masculine, thespecies epithetcinerea is not masculinised to match, though some authors have argued it should be.[9]
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Like the North Island kōkako, this was a slate-grey bird with long legs and a small black mask;Reischek considered its plumage slightly lighter than the North Island species. Its wattles were distinctly orange in colour with a dark blue base; young birds had much lighter wattles.[10] It seems to have spent more time on the ground than the North Island species, but been a better flier.[11] They have an average weight of 230g.[12] Kōkako have distinctive organ- and flute-like duetting calls. Early explorerCharlie Douglas described the South Island kōkako call: "Their notes are very few, but the sweetest and most mellow toned I ever heard a bird produce."[13] Based on extant records, South Island kōkako eggs were larger than their North Island counterparts.[14]
At the time of European settlement, South Island kōkako were found on the West Coast fromnorthwest Nelson toFiordland, as well asStewart Island,Banks Peninsula, and theCatlins. Subfossil bones suggest they were formerly found throughout the South Island, but forest burning byMāori eliminated them from dry eastern lowland forest.[11] Introduced mammalian predators and forest clearance by settlers reduced their numbers further: by 1900 the bird was uncommon in the South Island and Stewart Island, and had almost disappeared by 1960.[11] Its vulnerability compared to the North Island species was perhaps due to its foraging and nesting close to the ground.[15]
The South Island kōkako was formally declared extinct by theDepartment of Conservation in 2007, as it had been 40 years since the last authenticated sighting atMt Aspiring in 1967.[16] In November 2013, however, theOrnithological Society of New Zealand accepted as genuine a reported sighting by two people nearReefton in 2007, and changed the bird'sNew Zealand Threat Classification status from "extinct" to "data deficient". Eleven other sightings from 1990 to 2008 were considered to be only "possible" or "probable".[17]
A supposed kōkako feather was found in 1995,[18] but examination by scientists at theNational Museum showed it to be from ablackbird, though doubt over this conclusion exists due to the morphology of the feather and the identity of the feather used for the DNA test.[3] Unconfirmed sightings of South Island kōkako and reports of calls have continued,[19][20][21][22] but no authenticated recent remains, feathers, droppings, video, or photographs exist. TheIUCN Red List status of the species is, as of 2016, Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct).[1] There was most an unconfirmed sighting in November 2018, in theHeaphy Track inKahurangi National Park.[23] A potential kōkakocall, consisting of a "a distinct couple of soft long notes" was recorded at Heaphy Track on 29 December 2021, followed by a sighting of "a bird of the right size and colour".[24][25] There was another possible sighting in 2024.[26]
TheSouth Island Kōkako Charitable Trust aims to confirm that the South Island kōkako is extant so that it can be conserved appropriately. Their public search campaign, launched in January 2017 and with over 430 reports of possible encounters to February 2024, has a $10,000 reward on offer for evidence, likely a photograph or video, which would need to be verified by the Dept of Conservation andBirds NZ.
Authority control databases: National |
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