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Kōrero: Large forest birds

Buff weka in pasture

Image
Buff weka in pasture

Weka eat diverse foods in a variety of habitats. In pasture, they feed on soil invertebrates. They also eat seeds, fruit, lizards, frogs, eggs, chicks and carrion. Buff weka were introduced to the Chatham Islands in 1905. They later became extinct on the mainland – but birds from the Chathams have been reintroduced to a few eastern South Island sites in recent years.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10028787

by P. R. Clerke

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Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Gerard Hutching, Large forest birds – Weka, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/photograph/10555/buff-weka-in-pasture (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Gerard Hutching, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009, updated 1 August 2023.