The weka, also known as the Māori hen
The weka are sturdy brown birds about the size of a chicken. As , they feed mainly on and fruit. Weka usually lay bird egg between August and January; both sexes help to incubate.
Description
Weka are large rails. They are predominantly rich brown mottled with black and grey; the brown shade varies from pale to dark depending on subspecies. The male is the larger sex at in length and in weight. Females measure in length and weigh . The reduced wingspan ranges from .
The relatively large, reddish-brown beak is about long, stout and tapered, and used as a weapon. The pointed tail is near-constantly being flicked, a sign of unease characteristic of the rallidae. Weka have sturdy legs and reduced wings.
Taxonomy and distribution
The common name, "weka" is a Māori word. The species was
binary name Rallus australis by Anders Erikson Sparrman in 1789.
Sparrman published the information in
Museum Carlsonianum, four fascicules based on specimens collected while voyaging with
James Cook between 1772 and 1775.
is Latin for "southern". Johann Georg Wagler's suggestion of the genus
Ocydromus in 1830 to describe each weka as a species was generally adopted.
However, weka were later classified as a single species in the genus
Gallirallus with four subspecies.
The buff weka ( Gallirallus australis hectori)
Reintroduction into Canterbury has been unsuccessful so far, but introductions to Mou Waho Island (in Lake Wānaka in 2004) and from there to Pigeon and Pig Island (in Lake Wakatipu in 2005/2006) have been much more successful. It has a lighter overall colouring than the other subspecies. The North Island weka ( G. a. greyi)[Penguin Pocket Guides: New Zealand's Native Birds of Bush and Countryside. Pages 76–77. 1996. Published by Penguin Books. ] Individual sightings around the Dunedin area suggest several individuals may exist in the southeastern South Island, either as surreptitious or inadvertent introductions, or possibly as remnants of a population previously thought extinct.
The nominate subspecies, the western weka ( G. a. australis),
Behaviour
Habitat and diet
Weka occupy areas such as forests,
sub-alpine grassland,
,
and modified semi-urban environments. They are omnivorous, with a diet comprising 30% animal foods and 70% plant foods. Animal foods include
,
, beetles, wētā, ants, grass grubs, slugs, snails, insect eggs,
woodlouse, frogs, spiders, rats, mice, and small birds. Stewart Island weka (
G. a. scotti) have been observed preying on
sooty shearwater (
Puffinus griseus) eggs and chicks.
Plant foods include leaves, grass, berries and seeds. Weka are important in the bush as seed dispersers, distributing seeds too large for smaller berry-eating birds.
Breeding and Nesting
The breeding season varies, but when food is plentiful, weka can raise up to four broods throughout the whole year.
Bird nest are made on the ground under the cover of thick vegetation, and built by making grass (or similar material) into a bowl to hold about four eggs. On average, female weka lay three creamy or pinkish eggs blotched with brown and mauve. Both sexes incubate. The chicks hatch after a month, and are fed by both parents until fully grown between six and ten weeks.
Conservation status
Weka are classed as a vulnerable species. The Department of Conservation's weka recovery plan, approved in 1999, aims to improve the conservation status of threatened weka, clarify the status of data deficient weka, maintain the non-threatened status of other weka, and eventually restore all weka to their traditional ranges as a significant component of the ecosystems.
Weka are problematic in conservation; some subspecies are threatened, but have been a problem to other threatened wildlife on offshore islands, especially when introduced to an island that they would not naturally inhabit.
Threats
The Department of Conservation identifies eight main threats to weka.
Predation by
, cats, and dogs are a threat to adult weka;
and ferrets are a threat to chicks; stoats and rats are a threat to eggs. It faces competition with introduced species for fruits and invertebrates, and suffers from the impact browsers have on forest composition and regeneration. Habitat depletion is caused by the modification and degradation of forests and wetlands. Diseases and
have been associated with population declines, although little is known. Drought has been implicated in the disappearance of weka from some areas. In some regions, motor vehicles cause a significant amount of
roadkill death. Pest control operations sometimes kill weka, as they have ground foraging habits vulnerable to poison baits, and traps are laid in a way that weka can reach. Genetic diversity can be lost during the transmission of genes through generations, affecting isolated populations.
Human interaction
Weka are significant to some Māori
iwi (tribes) who admire their curiosity and feisty, bold personality traits which have led to them being relatively easy to catch. Weka were used by the Māori as a source of food, perfume, oil to treat
, feathers in clothing
and lures to catch dogs. Early European explorers and settlers frequently encountered and utilised weka; they were called "bush hens".
Incidents
In October 2023 a two-person team competing in a reality show were disqualified after one killed and ate a weka in what he claimed was an act of desperation and hunger, despite knowing it was a protected species. They were also issued with a letter of reprimand from the Department of Conservation.
[ US reality show contestant kills and eats protected bird in New Zealand CNN, 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.][Wang, F. TV contestant killed and ate protected bird - NZ media BBC World Service, 23 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.][Rawling, C. US reality contestant kills and eats protected bird on NZ-filmed TV show ABC News, 24 July 2024. Retrieved 24 July 2024.]
External links
