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A rare bird species which was believed to be extinct for several decades has made a return to New Zealand’s South Island. Takahē birds are flightless large birds with blue-green feathers and bright red legs.

Looking at fossil records, their presence on Aotearoa dates back to at least the prehistoric Pleistocene era. They were then declared extinct in 1898, with their extinction related to animals brought along by European settlers. After their rediscovery in 1948 and efforts to restore their numbers through ex-situ conservation, they were now released into the wild in a combined effort by conservationists, the Indigenous Ngāi Tahu people and the government. Their number is now at around 500, having grown by about 8% each year.

Here you can watch footage of this big conservation win: Takahē bird continues its journey of recovery with release into New Zealand tribal lands

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Franca Hoffmann