AYUDA PORFAVOR


A very rare bird

Most people have never heard of the takahē. This is not surprising as it is one of the rarest birds in the world – there are

350 of them alive today. The takahē is blue in colour, the size of a small duck and needs cold, wet environments to

. It only lives in the Murchison Mountains in New Zealand. But, in recent centuries, many meat-eating animals have come to New Zealand from other countries. These animals are

dangerous to the takahē because this bird actually lives on the ground and cannot fly. And of course, humans are a threat too. Because of this, people thought that the takahē had died out in the 1800s, but in 1948 a local doctor led a trip into the mountains and discovered a tiny group of the birds, the

in the world. Since then, people have done a lot to protect the takahē. For example, scientists have moved small populations of the birds to private islands where there are no dangers. Also, the public are not allowed to visit the Murchison Mountains

. Progress is slow, but baby birds are born each year, so there is definitely hope for the future of this beautiful bird.