Description
This is the inspiring story of the rediscovery and then the recovery of the Takahe, one of New Zealand’s most Intriguing native birds.
Takahe are ‘strange and wonderful avian beasts’, big purple birds with a striking red beak and legs. Once thought extinct, they were famously rediscovered in 1948 by Invercargill doctor Geoffrey Orbe, who found a small population living in a remote valley in the Murchison Mountains of Fiordland.
In this book Alison Balance charts the history of the Takahe recovery programme, the longest running species conservation programme in New Zealand, and perhaps the world. After many setbacks, those dedicated to saving the bird have in recent years managed to build up a healthy population, which will pass 500 birds in 2023.
Full of fascinating stories about the biology and lifestyle of this delightful bird, summed up as ‘a food obsessed, serially monogamous (mostly) devoted partner and parent, whose teenage kids stick around to help raise their younger siblings’. This beautifully illustrated and inspiring book will appeal to anyone with an interest in ornithology and the natural world in New Zealand.
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