Kokako & Habitat Double Sided Puzzle (2 puzzles in 1)
Below information is printed on the back of the tray for your reference:
The Kokako belongs to the endemic New Zealand wattlebirds, an ancient family of birds which includes the extinct Huia. It is a dark bluish-grey bird with a long tail and short wings. There is a pair of brightly coloured, fleshy "wattles" extending from either side of its gape to meet below the neck and has a masked face. The North Island Kokako has blue wattles, the South Island Kokako has orange or yellow wattles. The bird is not very good at flying, and prefers to use its powerful legs to leap and run through the forest. The North Island kokako is found mainly in tall diverse native forest. The South Island Kokako are assumed to be extinct, however it's possible they may survive in low numbers in remote parts of the South Island and Stewart Island. Due to pest control, Kokako numbers increased from less than 350 pairs in the 1990s to approximately 1,400 pairs in 2015. Kokako are known for the clarity and volume of their song which carries far across the forest. In the early morning, a pair may sing a duet for up to half an hour with other Kokako joining in to form a "bush choir". Male and female are similar in colour and size (weighing about 230 grams); male generally larger. They protect large territories by singing and chasing away invaders. They eat leaves, fern-fronds, flowers, fruit and invertebrates.
In Maori myth, it was the Kokako that gave Maui water as he fought the sun. The Kokako filled its wattles with water and brought it to Maui. His thirst quenched, Maui rewarded the Kokako by making its legs long and slender, enabling the bird to bound through the forest with ease in search of food.
The South Island Kokako is believed to be extinct.
Kokako feature on the $50.00 note.