endemic to the Chatham Islands east of New Zealand but formerly treated as a subspecies of the NZ fernbird ([i]B. punctata[/i]). While the NZ species is still fairly common on the mainland and various offshore islands, the Chatham Islands fernbird became extinct by around 1900 due to the introduction of mammalian predators such as cats and rats. This species was probably flightless or nearly-so.
This specimen was photographed at the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand
