#2535 - Gallirallus australis - Weka
AKA Māori hen, bush hen or woodhen
A chicken-sized omnivorous flightless rail formerly found across much of New Zealand. Now drastically limited in distribution, although some of the subspecies are doing better than others. We saw the butt of one disappearing into the undergrowth in the estuary at Greymouth.
Unsurprising, bounties declared on the birds didn't help their survival - they're known to snatch eggs and young birds, so anybody that lost young chickens to them was understandably irate - but it's not clear exactly what other pressures have wiped them out elsewhere.
They've been introduced to offshore islands as part of conservation efforts, but this has backfired somewhat when they start preying on the island wildlife.
Where the weka is still relatively common, they search around houses and camps for food scraps, or anything unfamiliar and transportable - particularly if it's shiny.
In October 2023 a two-person US team competing in a reality show were disqualified after one killed and ate a Weka, despite knowing they're now a protected species.
Whanganui Regional Museum, New Zealand.
