Humans: let's restore native habitat so creatures can live their best lives

Creatures: FIGHT!

DOC ranger snaps rare footage of tuatara and takahē 'having a scrap'

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/561097/doc-ranger-snaps-rare-footage-of-tuatara-and-takahe-having-a-scrap

#RNZ #TiritiriMatangi

Pretty sure this is a female North Island robin or toutouwaii (Petroica longipes) on Tiritiri Matangi island, north of Auckland.

This was an absolutely magic interaction. The bird perched probably no more than two metres away from me - I don’t think this image was cropped at all. It hunted on the forest floor and bathed in a puddle right next to me with complete disregard for my presence.

#birds #BirdPhotography #TiritiriMatangi #NewZealand

North Island saddleback or tieke (Philesturnus rufusater), Tiritiri Matangi Island, north of Auckland.

#birds #BirdPhotography #TiritiriMatangi #NewZealand

A takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri) on Tiritiri Matangi island.

I was going to describe them as “like a pukeko on steroids”, then saw that my New Zealand field guide does in fact use the sentence “Like an enormous pukeko”. That beak looks like it could cut through padlocks. They are classified as a “very rare endemic” of New Zealand, now found primarily on island reserves.

#birds #BirdPhotography #TiritiriMatangi #NewZealand #takahe

Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) on Tiritiri Matangi Island, north of Auckland.

Apparently the tui is the only species in the genus Prosthemadera.

#birds #BirdPhotography #TiritiriMatangi #NewZealand