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The takah\u0113 chick with its parents \u2013 credit Linten Miller.<\/p>\n The takah\u0113 chick with its parents \u2013 credit Linten Miller.<\/p>\n
Described by park officials as a Christmas miracle, a breeding pair of endangered takah\u0113 birds in New Zealand were found to be rearing a chick, having previously been thought of as infertile.<\/p>\n
With around 500 of these flightless birds left in the country, every chick counts.<\/p>\n
The miracle happened in Zealandia, a fenced-in ecosanctuary 10 minutes\u2019 drive from Wellington\u2019s city center.<\/p>\n
The sanctuary conservation team was searching for a nest in early November after a female bird named Waitaa hadn\u2019t been seen at the feeders for some time.<\/p>\n
They heard some high-pitched calls indicating the pair had\u2014miraculously\u2014produced a chick. Waitaa\u2019s partner, Bendigo, was previously believed to be infertile.<\/p>\n
Jo Ledington, General Manager of Conservation and Restoration, says the news was kept under wraps until the team was more confident the chick was doing well and the worst of the spring weather had passed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m thrilled that Zealandia can support national takah\u0113 recovery efforts not only by providing opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people to connect with this amazing species, but to also add more birds to the national population.\u201d<\/p>\n
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credit \u2013 Linton Miller<\/p>\n
The takah\u0113 is a relative of the rail, a ground-dwelling, amphibious family of birds with short wings, large feet and long legs. Breeding once a year, they were believed to be extinct on New Zealand\u2019s South Island before being rediscovered in 1948. A fully-grown bird sports iridescent blue and green feathers and becomes quite fat\u2014giving them the famous appearance, when viewed straight on, of the Earth.<\/p>\n
At Zealandia, Bendigo and Waitaa arrived last year as a non-breeding paired couple, but after a failed nesting season, it was believed they were unable to conceive. Following Waitaa\u2019s disappearance, Ledington and colleagues set up a trail camera in an area they thought she might be nesting in. Sure enough, the chick was discovered.<\/p>\n
THE LAST STORY ON THESE BIRDS: <\/strong>Prehistoric Bird Once Thought to Be Extinct Returns to New Zealand Wild<\/a><\/p>\n