TRAVEL TALES | WILDLIFE
A Cheeky Bird Home to the Southern Alps
The island nation of New Zealand houses some endemic feathered species
After living for almost five months in the island nation far from every other country on Earth, I learned that I did not know much about this land before coming here.
Part of the things I’ve learned but not restricted to is the rich and unique bird life. Some of those endemic feathered species I still haven’t seen and others I had never heard of before.
Most people know of the kiwi, a flightless bird connected to the country which is also giving its population the same name. Yes, local New Zealanders are also called kiwis, just like the fruit. So when talking about the kiwi, one has to specify if the bird, the humans, or a fruit is the center of the communication.
I have not been lucky to see this nocturnal bird but also must say, it’s not one of the prettiest-looking or sounding birds. However, another species quickly climbed up the ladder to my wanted animal, a bird I had never heard of before.
I did not even know New Zealand was home to parrots and while some of them are on the verge of extinction, such as the kaka or the kakapo (with less than 240 birds left), this one species had been saved…
