A large flightless rail, roughly the size of a hen. Variable brown plumage streaked with black, red eyes, a broad, pointed bill and strong legs. The wings are much reduced. It is often detected by its characteristic call, a repeated "coo-eet" given at dawn and dusk, frequently as a duet between male and female.
Weight
700 g – 1 kg
Size
46 cm – 60 cm
Life expectancy
10 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
AI-generated images: illustrations, not photographs.
Fun facts
Its incurable curiosity and bold character have made it famous: it steals small objects from walkers, and those same qualities historically made it easy to catch.
It was an important resource for several Māori iwi, who used it for food, perfume, oil to treat inflammation, feathers for clothing and as a lure for dogs; its sustainable use remains a live issue in its conservation.
For two centuries it was released on many small islands and on Macquarie Island as food for castaways and bird harvesters; in some cases it ended up becoming a problem for other threatened wildlife, and has had to be eradicated from them.
Life cycle and biology
Skeleton type
Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
Habitat and environment
Highly varied: forest, wetland, scrub, grassland, farmland and even suburban areas, on more than seventy New Zealand islands. It is extinct over large areas of the mainland
Birth weight
Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours
Size at birth
Precocial: born covered in down and leaves the nest within a few hours
Sexual maturity
11.9 months
Gestation / incubation
Both sexes incubate and raise the chicks
Litter / clutch size
It usually lays between August and January. It is monogamous and pairs tend to stay together for life
Sources consulted: IUCN Red List; BirdLife DataZone; Departamento de Conservación de Nueva Zelanda (Threatened Species Recovery Plan 29, 1999); Britannica; eBird; Sparrman 1786, Museum Carlsonianum; Beattie 1995; Olson 1973 y 1975
Where to find it
Best time: All year round, at dawn and dusk, when it gives its duetting calls
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The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Where to see it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Weka — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Same taxonomic family
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
Shares a park
How to help
The weka is classified as vulnerable. Organisations such as the IUCN, WWF and the Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programmes is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 6 protected areas — one reason why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about weka.
Comments
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