Stats

Lifespan: 15-20 yrs
Size: Large
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: New Zealand
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

The kererū is a large, plump pigeon endemic to New Zealand, recognisable by its iridescent green-bronze head and neck contrasting sharply with a pure white breast. It is one of the few birds large enough to swallow the fruits of native trees whole, making it a critical seed disperser for the forest.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small clutch of speckled eggs is incubated in a cup nest, turned and kept warm by the parent.
2.
hatchling
A pink, blind hatchling is fed by its parents in the nest, gaping its bill at every visit.
3.
juvenile
A feathered juvenile fledges from the nest, learning to fly and to forage close to its parents.
4.
adult
Fully grown with adult plumage and song.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Genus: Hemiphaga
Species: Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae