Weka in Clinton Valley

May 15, 2006

Weka

Provided and copyright by: Andrew McRae
Summary authors & editors: Andrew McRae

The weka is a ground dwelling New Zealand native bird. Due to the fact that New Zealand has no native mammals, the introduction of stoats and ferrets to control the rabbit population (released by colonists as food animals) devastated many of the native bird species. Many are now either extinct, endangered or rare. In the Milford Track area (at the southern end of the South Island), concerted attempts to trap and eliminate the feral stoats have meant that some of these species such as the Blue Duck are now increasing in numbers. This photo of a weka overlooking the Clinton River valley captures the uniqueness of the area, both in its species diversity and in its shear beauty. Photo taken on March 22, 2006.

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