South Island Kokako Possibly Rediscovered

birdsandbats

birdsandbats

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Three observers, including South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust General Manager Inger Perkins and Professor Stephen Marsland from Victoria University saw and recorded a bird they believe to be a South Island Kokako at Heaphy Track in Kahurangi National Park. The recording is currently "being assessed", whatever that means.

Recording raises hopes of South Island Kōkako rediscovery - BirdGuides

@Chlidonias Any thoughts on this? How likely is this to be legitimate?
 
It's possible. However the Heaphy Track is one of the most popular walks in NZ, so one would think that if there were Kokako still there then they would be reported much more frequently. (There is a map in this article Bird call raises hopes of finding the elusive kōkako - which I think is the report your BirdGuides link is discussing - which has a string of potential reports along the track, which is interesting but to me also makes it seem less likely because if they are being seen or heard along the length of the track then confirmation should have come long ago).

Also Kaka, Tui, and Bellbird can all make similar calls. In this BirdingNZ thread S I Kokako - BirdingNZ.net there is a photo on the last page of what a juvenile Bellbird looks like - blue-grey plumage with yellow at the gape; anyone who birds knows that one species can be mistaken for another in the field, even if they can be easily told apart from photos or with clear views, and especially this can happen if the person is specifically looking for the species. (Side-note, the posts there also mention the volcano which erupted in Tonga last week, which could be heard in NZ. I heard it but thought it was fireworks because I didn't know there was a volcano erupting in Tonga!)

So, in summary, I hope they are still out there but it's a smaller than average chance. If they are still there then they will be so close to extinction, and quite possibly with only males left. (Females are killed on the nest by possums and other predators; in the North Island, mainland populations of Kokako typically end up being mostly male unless the areas are heavily trapped to keep down predator numbers).
 
Chlidonias said:
It's possible. However the Heaphy Track is one of the most popular walks in NZ, so one would think that if there were Kokako still there then they would be reported much more frequently. (There is a map in this article Bird call raises hopes of finding the elusive kōkako - which I think is the report your BirdGuides link is discussing - which has a string of potential reports along the track, which is interesting but to me also makes it seem less likely because if they are being seen or heard along the length of the track then confirmation should have come long ago).

Also Kaka, Tui, and Bellbird can all make similar calls. In this BirdingNZ thread S I Kokako - BirdingNZ.net there is a photo on the last page of what a juvenile Bellbird looks like - blue-grey plumage with yellow at the gape; anyone who birds knows that one species can be mistaken for another in the field, even if they can be easily told apart from photos or with clear views, and especially this can happen if the person is specifically looking for the species. (Side-note, the posts there also mention the volcano which erupted in Tonga last week, which could be heard in NZ. I heard it but thought it was fireworks because I didn't know there was a volcano erupting in Tonga!)

So, in summary, I hope they are still out there but it's a smaller than average chance. If they are still there then they will be so close to extinction, and quite possibly with only males left. (Females are killed on the nest by possums and other predators; in the North Island, mainland populations of Kokako typically end up being mostly male unless the areas are heavily trapped to keep down predator numbers).
Click to expand...
do you have any info or opinon one the 2007 sigthing i catn find much about it other then it being the only acepted sigthing after 1967
 
carl the birder said:
do you have any info or opinon one the 2007 sigthing i catn find much about it other then it being the only acepted sigthing after 1967
Click to expand...
See here, over pages 300-301: http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Miskelly et al. 2013.pdf

For me it is neither better nor worse than many other sightings, so I think its acceptance was simply based on the reliability of the second observer (and the way it reads he didn't get great views himself anyway).

There are actually quite a lot of sightings about the place, but the problem (for me) is that there is no real way to distinguish between a genuine, a mistaken, and a plain made-up report. I do look forward to the day that a bird is absolutely confirmed though.
 
Here are the images from this most recent sighting:

428132619_784983086998331_6219626296523593511_n.jpg

427971801_784983120331661_5045304695962286550_n.jpg

1707930938561-png.1559563

1707930951567-png.1559564
 
Chlidonias said:
Where are these photos from? The report of the recent sighting didn't make any mention of photos being taken.

And it does look like a falcon.
Click to expand...
I found the photos on Facebook. They were posted by the South Island Kōkako Charitable Trust.
 
Chlidonias said:
Hopefully this link works so others can see: Log in to Facebook

The photos aren't from the sighting you had in the BirdGuides link - these photos were just taken the other day. Basically everybody is saying it's a falcon.
Click to expand...

...which it certainly is. Shorter narrower tail, long wings and moustachial stripes all present.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top