NATIVE BIRDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27058, 18 April 1949, Page 4

NATIVE BIRDS

FIORDLAND VARIETIES DISCOVERIES MADE BY EXPEDITION Special Reporter GEORGE SOUND. Apl. 17. That some of the rarer -birds known to have existed m fiordland may be seen again was the hope of the ornithologists attached to the New ZealanaAmerican fiordland expedition. So far, the native crow and thrush have not been observed, but the kakapn has been seen on two occasions, traces of the kiwi found, and other uncommon birds seen in various parts of the territory to which the expedition was sent. And so the ornithologists are not unsatisfied. A large green parrot peculiar to New Zealand, the kakapo has as its most remarkable feature the fact that it is in the process of losing the power of its wings. The wing muscles and parts of the skeleton are becoming smaller, and the best it can do in flight is to glide from a tree to the ground or from a branch to one lower. It normally uses Jts beak and feet to climb through the forest. Once reasonably common in the South Island, it is now rare and restricted, while almost certainly extinct in the North Island. Since it is partly nocturnal in its habits and colour scheme—green speckled with yellow—the kakapo has been a difficult bird to detect, and the theory has been advanced that it exists in larger numbers than was imagined. It was seen once by Mr R. Kean and Mr H. B. Wisely, both of the wild life branch of the Internal Affairs Department, near Leslie Clearing, an outlying camp about 2500 feet above sea level and four miles from the Stillwater base camp, and once by Mr H. R. J. Miller, of the Lands and Survey Department. . A kiwi was heard calling at night on the opposite bank of the Stillwater from the base camp. It was not seen at all. but Dr W. R. B. Oliver, formerly director of the Dominion Museum at Wellington, discovered two feathers which will enable the species to be identified. A kiwi egg was also found. On the mountain tops all parties > have reported having seen the little rock wren and green bush wren noticed in the higher forest levels. No tuis have been observed, though bellbirds are present in moderate numbers. Another surprise is the absence of kingfishers, only one of which has been seen, near the beach camp at Caswell Sound. Lake Merchant held the close interest of the ornithologists because of the number of species of duck there. Six of the family have been observed on the lake—probably a number unexcelled in any other locality in New Zealand. There were the rare mountain. or blue duck, the equally rare brown duck, the grey duck, the paradise duck, black teal and also a few of the introduced black swans