The takahē1 is a large, flightless bird – the largest living rail bird in the world. Rails are a family2 of ground-living birds and live on every continent3 except Antarctica. Takahē are endemic4 to Aotearoa5 New Zealand, which means they naturally live here and nowhere else in the world.
The takahē’s scientific name is Porphyrio hochstetteri and it is also called the South Island takahē to distinguish it from its extinct relative, the North Island takahē or moho6 (Porphyrio mantelli). Takahē also share a common ancestor with pūkeko7, but there are many differences between the species8. Learn more about the takahē and its relatives in the article The takahē’s evolutionary history.
Discover how new genetic research in 2023 shed new light on the evolutionary history of the takahē and uncovered the significant impact of humans and past climate change9 on takahē.
A conservation icon
The Department of Conservation calls the takahē a conservation10 icon11 and a survivor. Subfossil12 evidence13 shows the birds used to live across much of Te Waipounamu14 South Island. They were officially declared extinct in 1898. However, after some detective work and a carefully planned search, takahē were rediscovered in Fiordland’s Murchison Mountains in 1948. The location was declared a special area and closed to public access. At first, takahē were left on their own, but after a few years, it became clear that they would need special management.
Read about the famous rediscovery of takahē and the huge effort that has gone into boosting the takahē population15 in the article Takahē conservation efforts.
Habitat and behaviour
Wild takahē populations16 live in harsh alpine17 conditions18. They feed on alpine grass species called snow tussock. They use their strong beaks to cut and strip the tough blades. When winter snow covers the tussock, takahē move down to forested areas for shelter and to feed on fern rhizomes19. After the snow melts, takahē return to the grasslands to make nests among the tussocks.
Until 2018, the only wild population of takahē lived in the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland. The Department of Conservation’s Takahē Recovery Programme released 18 birds in Kahurangi National Park. Subfossil records show that takahē once lived in the Kahurangi area. DOC staff studied the location for years to ensure conditions were optimal for takahē survival.
The article The takahē’s ecological niche provides more information about the birds’ habitat20, behaviours and adaptations21.
Threats to takahē
Experts wonder if the surviving takahē lived in the Murchison Mountains because it was their preferred habitat or because it was a safe place. The Murchison Mountains are in a rugged, isolated region, and for a long time, the area was free from introduced predators.
Initially, takahē faced competition from red deer, which also grazed the tussock grasses. Deer culling reduced the deer population, and since 1980, it has remained low. Stoats, however, have become established in the Fiordland mountains, and flightless birds who nest on the ground are at their mercy. Fierce weather22 and avalanches also put takahē in danger. Read more about these risks and how they are being managed in the article Threats to takahē. You can also find out more about the dynamics of populations in Population biology. The article Population genetics discusses the threat posed by a genetic23 bottleneck for species like takahē.
Take up the challenge
The topic of takahē is a natural gateway for scientific and cross-curricular study. Takahē – a context for learning identifies key biological concepts covered by our resources. Use information from the articles to complete the student activities. For example, the activity Abiotic and biotic factors for takahē explores the interrelationships associated with takahē and the Murchison Mountains environment.
Takahē – question bank provides an initial list of questions about takahē conservation and places where their answers can be found. The question bank is useful for those using an inquiry approach.
The following interactive planning pathway groups resources into key science and teaching topics.
ZEALANDIA resources for teachers and students
Urban ecosanctuary ZEALANDIA has produced a comprehensive set of teaching resources designed to support Biology Achievement Standard 91158. Many of the materials can also be used as stand-alone resources for learning about takahē biology24 and conservation. Links to the ZEALANDIA resources can be found in the article Takahē – a context for learning and the interactive Planning pathways using takahē resources.
Nature of science
Takahē conservation efforts offer an excellent example of the collaborative nature of science25. Experts from many fields use their specialised knowledge to contribute to the Takahē Recovery Programme – genetics26, animal behaviour, habitat restoration, translocation27 practices, predator control28, climate29 and more.
Related content
Conserving native birds - introduction curates Hub resources about native30 bird conservation, their roles in ecosystems31, adaptations and more!
Useful links
Check out the Department of Conservation’s Takahē Recovery Programme.
ZEALANDIA ecosanctuary has a small resident takahē population.
Find out more about the extinct moho or North Island takahē from New Zealand Birds Online.
The New Zealand Geographic article Road to recovery reports on the birds now living in the Gouland Downs in Kahurangi National Park. The article also has information about takahē breeding and biology.
ZEALANDIA and the Takahē Recovery Programme collaboration
Urban ecosanctuary ZEALANDIA in collaboration with the Takahē Recovery Programme has produced a comprehensive set of teaching resources designed to support Biology Achievement Standard 91158. Many of the materials can also be used as stand-alone resources for learning about takahē biology and conservation. Links to the takahē ZEALANDIA resources can be found in the article Takahē – a context for learning and the interactive Planning pathways using takahē resources.
- takahē: A flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand New Zealand, also known as the South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri). It was thought to be extinct, but was rediscovered in Fiordland in 1948.
- family: A classification grouping that ranks above genus and below order (kingdom > phylum > class > order > family > genus > species).
- continent: In geology, any of the main continuous expanses of continental crust on the Earth. Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America are recognised as continents, but this is based on historical and cultural attributes rather than geological attributes.
- endemic: Native to only one location. For example, species endemic to New Zealand naturally occur only in New Zealand but may have been introduced elsewhere in the world.
- Aotearoa: The Māori name for New Zealand, meaning Land of the Long White Cloud.
- moho: An extinct New Zealand bird, also known as the North Island takahē (Porphyrio mantelli).
- pūkeko: A New Zealand swamp hen (Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus) related to the Australasian purple swamp hen.
- species: (Abbreviation sp. or spp.) A division used in the Linnean system of classification or taxonomy. A group of living organisms that can interbreed to produce viable offspring.
- climate change: The large-scale, long-term increase in the Earth’s average temperatures, with associated changes in weather patterns. There is significant scientific evidence that warming is due to increased quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, with most of the rise due to human activity.
- conservation: The protection, preservation and careful management of a species, habitat, artifact or taonga.
- icon: Representative symbol.
- subfossil: Partially fossilised – subfossils are often not old enough to be classified as true fossils.
- evidence: Data, or information, used to prove or disprove something.
- Te Waipounamu: The Māori name for the South Island of Aotearoa New Zealand.
- population: In biology, a population is a group of organisms of a species that live in the same place at a same time and that can interbreed.
- population: In biology, a population is a group of organisms of a species that live in the same place at a same time and that can interbreed.
- alpine habitats: High in the mountains, beyond where trees grow.
- condition: An existing state or situation; a mode or state of being.
- rhizome: Underground stem.
- habitat: The natural environment in which an organism lives.
- adaptation: A change in the structure or function of something. In biology, a change in a species, as a result of natural selection. Individuals with a particular feature (adaptation) are more likely to survive and reproduce than individuals without this feature.
- weather: Daily or short-term conditions like temperature, cloud cover, precipitation and wind affecting a certain area.
- genetic: Of, relating to, or determined by genes.
- biology: The science of living things.
- nature of science: The Nature of Science (NoS), is an overarching and unifying strand of the New Zealand science curriculum. Through it, students develop the skills, attitudes and values to build a foundation for understanding the world around them – understanding how science works in order to make links between scientific knowledge and everyday decisions and actions.
- genetics: The study of heredity and variation in living organisms.
- translocation: When plants or animals are transported to a new area to establish a new population or to add genetic diversity to an existing population.
- predator control: The management, removal or eradication of predatory species.
- climate: The weather conditions of an area averaged over a series of years, usually 30 or more.
- native: A species that lives naturally in a country, as opposed to species that have been introduced by the activity of humans.
- ecosystem: An interacting system including the biological, physical, and chemical relationships between a community of organisms and the environment they live in.
