When the Polynesian ancestors of Māori arrived in New Zealand, ravens were common in open country around the coasts. The Pacific rats (kiore) introduced by the voyagers ate raven eggs and chicks, and the adult birds were hunted by humans. By the time the first Europeans visited the country, ravens were extinct.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Artwork by Paul Martinson
Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
Tāpiritia te tākupu hou