The Huia was the largest species of New Zealand wattlebird, endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Its extinction in the early 20th century. The two major cause of extinction was overhunting to procure Huia skins for mounted specimens and the widespread deforestation of the lowlands of the North Island by European settlers. Huia were primarily found in broadleaf-podocarp forests where there was a dense understorey, with the lost of ancient, ecologically complex primary forests, they were unable to survive in regenerating secondary forests.
The New Zealand Pigeon or kererū is a bird endemic to New Zealand. Kererū are commonly called wood pigeons but are not the same as the Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus), which is a member of a different genus. Since the extinction of the moa, the kererū and parea are now the only seed dispersers with a bill big enough to swallow large fruit, such as those of karaka, miro, tawa and taraire. The disappearance of these birds could be a disaster for the regeneration of New Zealand native forests.
The New Zealand Kaka, also known as Kākā, (Nestor meridionalis) is a New Zealand parrot endemic to the native forests of New Zealand.
The New Zealand Kaka lives in lowland and mid-altitude native forest. Its strongholds are currently the offshore reserves of Kapiti Island, Codfish Island and Little Barrier Island. It is breeding rapidly in the mainland island sanctuary at Zealandia (Karori Wildlife Sanctuary), with over 300 birds banded since their reintroduction in 2002.
Kōkako are endangered forest birds which are endemic to New Zealand. There are two sub-species of Kōkako, the North Island Kōkako and the South Island Kōkako. Kōkako declines were undoubtedly caused by forest clearance, and the introduction of predators.
In Māori myth, it was the Kōkako that gave Maui water as he fought the sun. The kōkako filled its wattles with water and brought it to Maui. His thirst quenched, Maui rewarded the kōkako by making its legs long and slender, enabling the bird to bound through the forest with ease in search of food.
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