Wednesday 11 September 2024

Wild Bird Wednesday 633 - Kererū

The Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) is also known as the New Zealand Pigeon or the New Zealand Wood Pigeon. A large, conspicuous pigeon that is endemic to NZ. It is up to 50 cm in length and between 550–850 g in weight, with a white breast and iridescent green–blue plumage.  It's a magnificent bird to see.  And thankfully it's also reasonably common in NZ.

This is a species that is expanding its population in NZ after a significant reduction in population. Given it's 'family meal' size I'm more than a little surprised that it survived the vagaries of first people arrival and later European colonisation - but thankfully it did!  

The pairs of birds are monogamous, and where you find one bird you will often find another.

These pictures were taken at various location around North and South Island. 







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10 comments:

  1. pretty pigeons ....
    never seen in the nature

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  2. Belles photos ! Ils ressemblent beaucoup à nos palombes, qui les malheureuses sont la cible des chasseurs depuis dimanche. Elles viennent dans ma campagne où là elles sont tranquilles ;) A + !

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  3. More attractive than the pigeons we have here.

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  4. Great to hear that the Kererū population is recovering! It's a beautiful and unique bird. These are lovely photos.

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  5. Nice photos. These birds are more colorful than our pigeons.

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  6. Great to hear that they are increases Stewart Lovely photographs. Thanks for posting and commenting. Have a good weekend

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  7. You just keep fuelling my disappointment that I have not visited, nor likely ever will visit, New Zealand. What a splendid bird!

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  8. The Kererū is indeed a stunning bird, and it’s great to hear about its population recovery! Its distinctive plumage and size make it quite a remarkable sight in New Zealand’s diverse wildlife. Thanks for sharing this insight into the Kererū and your beautiful photos from around the islands. Wishing you a lovely weekend. You are invited to read my new blog post: (https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/09/sighthill-neighbourhood-glasgow.html).

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