In an event hailed as a 'miracle' by stunned conservationists, a rare takahē chick has hatched at a New Zealand eco-sanctuary to a pair of birds previously believed to be infertile.
A Precious Surprise for a Rare Species
The unexpected arrival is a significant boon for the takahē, a unique flightless bird once thought extinct. Only around 500 of these birds remain in the world, making every new chick critically important for the species' survival.
The chick's parents, named Bendigo (the father) and Waitaa (the mother), arrived at the Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne eco-sanctuary in Wellington two years ago as a non-breeding pair. After a failed nesting attempt earlier in 2024, sanctuary staff had given up hope of them producing offspring.
The first clue came in October when Waitaa mysteriously disappeared, a potential sign of nesting behaviour. Weeks later, staff heard faint cheeping from dense bushland. They deployed a trail camera, and the footage confirmed their wildest hopes: a healthy, newly hatched chick.
The 'Dinosaur' Chick and Its Doting Parents
"I was gobsmacked," confessed Jo Ledington, Zealandia's Conservation and Restoration Manager. "It's a miracle, we just weren't expecting it at all." The chick, whose sex is not yet known, was discovered in November but kept secret for its safety.
Described as entering its "dinosaur phase", the chick sports fuzzy black down, comically large white legs and claws, and a beak beginning to take on an adult shape. At roughly seven weeks old when found, it will start to resemble its rotund, colourful parents at about three months of age.
Ledington praised Bendigo and Waitaa as "textbook model parents", who have been doting on their new charge. Adult takahē are striking birds, standing around 50cm tall with vibrant green and blue feathers, red legs, and a large beak.
A Beacon of Hope for Conservation
The chick's birth is not the first surprise at Zealandia. In 2018, another pair thought to be past breeding age also hatched a chick. "Zealandia is a pretty special place, so yes, maybe there is something in the water," Ledington joked.
The sanctuary, a fully fenced urban eco-haven just 10 minutes from Wellington's centre, is credited with reviving birdlife in the capital. However, it does not typically house breeding takahē due to a lack of their preferred grassland nesting habitat, making this event even more extraordinary.
Takahē were presumed extinct at the turn of the 20th century until a dramatic rediscovery in 1948. They have since been part of New Zealand's longest-running endangered species programme. Like many native birds, they are vulnerable to introduced predators, having evolved without land mammals.
"Any chick that we can add to that population is just incredibly valuable," Ledington emphasised, underscoring the profound importance of this little 'miracle' for the future of an entire species.
