How do Kereru get drunk?
Kererū eat the fruit, leaves, twigs, buds, and shoots of over a hundred native, and fifty exotic, shrubs and trees. Occasionally, they gorge so heavily on ripe fruit that they become very full (or “drunk”) and have been known to fall out of trees.
Do Kereru eat seeds?
The kereru eats the berries. The seeds in the berries are not digested and fall to the ground in a new part of the forest in the bird droppings. If there were no kereru there would be no more karaka, tawa or caraire. The kereru needs the trees for food, and the trees need the kereru to disperse or spread their seeds.
Does Kereru mate for life?
Breeding. Kererū are monogamous and are often seen in pairs. In good conditions, they can live up to 21 years, but they are slow breeders with only one egg laid per clutch.
What is a kereru habitat?
Habitat. Kereru inhabit a wide variety of forest types: podocarp-broadleaf forest, beech forest, second growth native forest regenerating after logging, small forest remnants, and exotic plantations (especially those with an understorey and/or stream-sides of native shrubs and trees).
What are the kereru predators?
The most serious threat to the kererū comes from predators. Recent studies in several parts of the country have found that many nests produce no chicks at all. Rats, stoats, cats and possums eat their eggs and young; stoats and cats will also attack and kill adult kererū.
How far can a kereru fly?
Kererū fly considerable distances in search of food, including across 30-kilometre Foveaux Strait, between Stewart Island and Invercargill. By contrast, their Chatham Islands relative, the parea, rarely flies further than 5 kilometres.
What is the difference between male and female Kereru?
Male and female kereru look alike. The head, nape, hind neck, throat and chest are green, often with an intense metallic green and bronze iridescence. The mantle, and lesser and median wing coverts are maroon, but with brown- orange and green tones towards the margins.
What is another name for Kereru?
New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) known as kererū, or in Northland as kūkū or kūkupa.
How far can a kererū fly?
Are kererū pigeons?
The kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) or New Zealand pigeon is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand.
Does kereru sing?
Kererū don’t sing like a lot of our native birds, instead they make a soft “coo” sound. You are more likely to notice a kererū when it’s flying because of the loud “whooshing“ noise their wings make.
Are kereru pigeons?
What does a kererū look like?
Kererū are big birds, in fact they are one of the largest pigeons in the world. They weigh about 650g and are about 50 cm long. The feathers on their back and head are green, but can look purple in the sunlight.
Why is the kereru important to New Zealand?
Kererū are very important to the survival of New Zealand forests because they’re the only birds left (all others are now extinct) big enough to swallow the large fruits of native trees such as taraire and karaka. After dining on fruit, they fly to a favourite roost to digest their meal.
What is the Great kererū count?
The Great Kererū Count is nearly here! From the 16th- 25th of September, you can take part in New Zealand’s largest citizen science project by getting outside and counting kererū. This will help scientists get a better understanding of kererū numbers and where they live.
What is the best time of year to see kereru?
Kereru are known for an awesome flight display during breeding time. They can breed throughout the entire year, but the peak seems to be between October and January. During breeding a bird will fly up very high and then stall and drop down like a rock in a swooping pattern.