Pūkeko is theNew Zealandname for the purple swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio).

Pūkeko are:

·  a member of the rail family of birds, which also includesthe takahe (the two birdslook very similar, although takahe are much heavier)

·  around 51 centimetres long

·  a deep blue colour, with a black head and upperparts, white feathers under their tail, and a red bill and legs

·  laboured and reluctant flyers, but good waders, swimmers and runners

·  aggressive and territorial

·  mostly vegetarian, but also eat invertebrates, eggs, frogs, small fish, chicks and mammals, especially in breeding season where chicks are fedprotein-rich animals

·  widespread. They have adapted well to urbanisation and are as at home inpasture and farmland as they are in wetlands

·  cooperative breeders, with multiple male and female birdsoften sharing a nest and responsibility for incubation of eggs and the guarding and feeding of chicks

·  protected but can be shot for sport during the shooting season.

·  New Zealand status: Native

·  In many areas, pukeko live in permanent social groups and defend a shared territory that is used for both feeding and breeding.

·  All eggs are laid in a single nest and the group offspring are raised by all group members.

·  Females are smaller than males, but similarly coloured. Juveniles are similar to adults but duller, with black eyes and black bill and shield that turn to red around 3 months of age.

·  Territorial ‘crowing’ is the loudest and most frequently heard call.

·  A variety of contact calls including ‘’n’yip’, ‘hiccup’ and ‘squawk’ are used between adults, and between adults and chicks. The defence call is a loud, shrill screech used when a harrier is nearby. A similar, but deeper and hoarser, call is made during aggressive interactions between individuals.

·  Pukeko are found throughout New Zealand. They are typically found near sheltered fresh or brackish water (e.g. vegetated swamps, streams or lagoons), especially adjacent to open grassy areas and pastures.

·  Pukeko are regularly seen near roadside and drainage ditches and along the margins of scrub or forested areas, from sea level up to 2300 m.

·  Clutch size is typically 4-6 eggs per females and when multiple females contribute to a single nest the total clutch size can be as high as 18 eggs.

·  Incubation is predominantly by breeding males, with some assistance from breeding females. All group members contribute to chick care.

·  Chicks begin leaving the nest after 4-5 days, but are fed by adults for c. 2 months.

·  In the North Island, laying can occur in any month, with a peak in August to November. In theSouth Island, breeding normally takes place between September and January.

·  Pukeko are primarily vegetarian, but animal foods make up a small proportion of the diet. Most common foods are the stems, shoots, leaves and seeds of grasses sedges rushes clover and bullrush.

·  They also eat garden vegetables and crop plants.

·  Animal foods consist mostly of insects, spiders and earthworms however there are rare reports of pukeko taking larger prey such as frogs, lizards, fish and nestling birds.