Scientific name:
Notornis mantelli

Natural spread:
New Zealand

on New Zealand's South-island lives the unairworthy, rare Takahe. Also the North-island was populated by another subtype of this big, colorful Ralle once, however died out already longer the birds there. The type was described only 1848 and already one year late was preserved the last copy for a zoological collection. Since then, Takahes was regarded as extinct, until in the year 1948 a small population of few hundred (200-300) these birds in some outlying valleys of the Murchinson-Gebirges on the South-island was rediscovered. Nowadays, Takahes stand under strict legal protection. However, the carnivores and Nager dragged in by the Europeans mean at least one just as severe danger like direct adjustments of the human being since Takahes raise only nests of few eggs (1-2).

Furthermore, they place the nests relatively easily accessible to robbers against the ground between grass-tufts. Both the changes of the natural habitats (moist-meadows and shore-areas) and unfavorable climate-conditions and its low adaptability still endanger this (development-historically quite old) Rallen strongly.

Takahes almost look like big purple-chickens (type Porphyrio), with which together it from unites zoologist into a common type is put. However, other Systematiker consider it to be one of the pond-chickens.