THE KAKA

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27526, 21 October 1950, Page 8

THE KAKA

Wild Life In Otago

Written for the Daily Times by L. E. Riehdale

The Kaka is one of the three larg« parrots of New Zealand, the remaining members of the group being the Mountain Parrot or Kea and the flightless parrot or Kakapo. The Kaka is essentially a bird of the bush. It was once common around Dunedin but has been pushed well back into forested areas. The food of the Kaka is varied and includes berries and other fruits* nectar, grubs, bettles and other insect larvae. The foot is frequently used to hold fruits as they are torn to pieces with the powerful bill and edibl#

parts including the seeds are eaten piecemeal. Flowers may also be held with the foot while the tongue is inserted to extract the nectar. Rotten and partly rotten wood is torn to ribbons in search of grubs and beetles. The presence of a Kaka in the forest may generally be detected by its screech, for the Kaka is a noisy bird. If unused to the presence of human beings, the Kaka usually exhibits its inquisitive disposition by coming down from the tree-tops to investigate. Any strange noise, especially if the source is not apparent, will attract the birds. The old time Maori used to employ the inquisitiveness of the Kakas for the purpose of catching ■ them. Unfortunately, the Pakeha, too, eats Kakas, a practice which is still in vogue in some places even today. The method of catching the birds is, of course, by use of the rifle.