The flightless takahē is a unique bird, a conservation icon and a survivor.
Thought to be extinct for nearly half a century, takahē were rediscovered in 1948 by an Invercargill based doctor, Geoffrey Orbell. He came across a small number of birds in the Murchison Mountains deep in Fiordland, still the only place on Earth where these peculiar birds are found. The Murchison Mountains are closed off to the public to protect the Takahē. Takahē can be seen at the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary.
Read more on the takahē here.
Learn more about other birds in Southland:
