Where is the takahe habitat?

Answer 1

Takahe were presumed extinct until they had been rediscovered by Geoffrey Orbell in 1948. They used to inhabit both, North and South Island of New Zealand. Their numbers declined hugely through overhunting from Maori as well as European settlers and the introduction of predators such as rats and stoats. One other contributing factor is the introduction of red deer to New Zealand who compete for the Takahe's main food source, the Tussock grass.

Most commonly, this question is answered 'because the Maori hunted them to near extinction', but this is incorrect. The Takahe have been believed to become extinct by 1898, but Maori had already arrived in New Zealand in the 13th century. The Moa, another flightless bird hunted by Maori, became extinct around 1500 AD. Therefore I believe it is safe to say that Maori alone can't be made responsible for the overhunting of this beautiful bird. Europeans started to settle in New Zealand by the 1780s, with increasing numbers from the 1830s. With them arrived rats, stoats, deer and other pests which made life hard for the endemic flora and fauna.

Answer 2

They are currently endangered due to the fact that stoats, weasels,rats, dogs and pigs have eaten their eggs and the cats eaten the hatchlings.. On Tikitiki Matangi island they have built a reserve to help the population of endangered birds not becoming extinct..

Answer 3

The New Zealand birds evolved in the absence of mammalian predators. There were predators, such as the Falcon (Karearea), and the Haast Eagle (Pouakai). But these did not prepare the aves for new threats such as rats, ferrets, stoats, and so on. Thus they were, and are, easy prey for these.

And many of the New Zealand birds were ground nesting, and this made them more vulnerable.

Answer 4

Only the North Island takahe is extinct. The South Island takahe was rediscovered in 1948. One reason for their extinction was that, being heavy but Flightless Birds, they were easy hunting for the Maori, and provided a tasty meal. In addition, the presence of new, introduced predators such as dogs, pigs and feral cats caused the elimination of takahe that lived on lower terrain: only the Fiordland takahe have survived. In addition, feral deer eat the tussock grass favoured by the takahe, so have proven to be competition for their food.

Answer 5

Only the South Island takahe still exists. This flightless bird's natural habitat is now restricted to the Murchison mountains in Fiordland National Park, where they inhabit alpine tussock grasslands and red tussock river flats. During winter, when these regions are covered in snow banks, the birds move into the nearby beech forest.

In an effort to protect the remaining takahe, a captive breeding programme has involved relocating birds to several other areas where there is grassland interspersed with mixed lowland native forest.