South Island Takahe

Porphyrio hochstetteri (Meyer, AB, 1883)

63 cmLength2.5 kgWeight

The South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family.

Busiest months: November–February · Most records: New Zealand

Endangered

Where and when it's recorded

South Island Takahe has been recorded at 10 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Tiritiri MatangiNew Zealand1,158 records
Zealandia Te Mara a Tane Wildlife SanctuaryNew Zealand1,032 records
Orokonui EcosanctuaryNew Zealand426 records

More places

Tawharanui Regional ParkNew Zealand281 records
Zealandia – Lower DamNew Zealand181 records
Kapiti Island LodgeNew Zealand126 records
Tiritiri Matangi – Wattle TrackNew Zealand124 records
Maungatautari – Southern Enclosure & Tautari WetlandNew Zealand33 records
Tawharanui Regional Park – LagoonNew Zealand5 records
Gulf Harbour to Tiritiri Matangi ferryNew Zealand2 records

Countries and regions with the most records

New Zealand

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is a flightless swamphen indigenous to New Zealand and the largest living member of the rail family. It is often known by the abbreviated name takahē, which it shares with the recently (14th century) extinct North Island takahē. The two takahē species are also known as notornis.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the South Island Takahe?

The South Island Takahe is about 63 cm long and weighs around 2.5 kg.

Where does the South Island Takahe live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: montane southwestern South Island; reintroduced to satellites (New Zealand). It is most often recorded in New Zealand.