In the last 20 years, there has been a marked decline in numbers of North Island kokako, although management is reversing that trend in many areas now. South Island kokako are currently assumed to be extinct, although it is possible they may survive in low numbers in remote parts of the South Island and Stewart Island. In the early 1900s the North Island kokako was common in forests throughout the North Island while the South Island kokako was widespread in the South Island and Stewart Island. Primary causes of kokako decline were forest clearance by settlers and the introduction of predators such as rats, stoats and possums. Years of such predation have resulted in populations that are predominantly male and with consequent low productivity rates.
Current research aims to increase management efficiency to ensure long-term kokako survival.
Kokako facts Kokako are renowned for the clarity and volume of their song which carries far across the forest. 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.