The Courtship of Kererū - Written by Te Korowai o Waiheke Team Member

"There is nothing as unmistakable as the low whooping of outstretched kererū wings, or the crunch of foliage under two crimson feet wrapped in billowing pantaloons. A fine gentleman with his white bib tucked in neatly below his chin is perched delicately above me, the limb of kanuka looking close to the edge of its capacity as he bounces slightly in the breeze. It seems a lady in the pohutukawa across the street has caught his eye. An iridescent mix of purple and green shimmers on her back as the broken light filters through the leaves, her bill matching the bright red flowers as she preens her long wing feathers. Our gentleman is greatly intrigued and hops over for a closer look, he booms deep calls from his chest as he clambers down the swinging branch.

Kererū, to me, are synonymous with places lush with native bush and wildlife. They are a keystone species that work hard at distributing the fruit of trees such as taraire, miro, and tawa whose seeds are too large to be consumed by any other birds, along with over a hundred other native species. With their rotund size, you would assume that their nests would be large, structurally sound pieces of architecture to support the weight of a growing kererū, but that is not the case. Often held together by straggling twigs, the platforms are so loosely built you can see all the way up through to the egg and the fluffy behind of mama kererū on top.

Courtship in the bird world is unlike any other, with dramatic dances, colourful shrines and impressive calls. Male manu pull out all the stops to catch the eye of a potential partner. The same goes for kererū. As the keen male above me shimmies up to the female, the kanuka branch really begins to reach breaking point. He fluffs up his white chest as much as he can, bobbing his dazzling green head as he coos and hops enthusiastically. The dance continues all around her from branch to branch, the whole tree swaying as he tries his best to enchant the striking female. In the ruckus and excitement, the kanuka finally gives in with a loud crack and both birds bolt to the sky with a hurried swoop of feathers. I will never know whether or not he succeeded in getting the girl, but with such style and dedication, I have no doubt that he did."

- Written and captured by Field Team Technician Charlie Thomas