Birds Don’t Fly

Todd: So Rachel, you said that in your home country, New Zealand, there're lots of birds that don't fly?

Rachel: Yes, there are a lot of birds that don't fly.

Todd: Wow, so I only knew of the kiwi and of course the penguin, but I didn't know of other ones. So first the kiwi. It doesn't fly, right?

Rachel: That's the famous one.

Todd: Right.

Rachel: They don't fly but they can run very fast. I've seen them.

Todd: Like and are the kiwi all over? Like are there different types of kiwi?

Rachel: Yeah, there are several different varieties. They're very rare though, and they're nocturnal.

Todd: Oh, nocturnal.

Rachel: I'd say most New Zealanders have never seen one in the wild. I've only seen them in Kiwi parks.

Todd: Oh, really.

Rachel: Yeah, you don't see them.

Todd: So, I thought they'd be like kangaroos in Australia, or something like you go and there's one.

Rachel: No, they're very precious and very rare. One that you see more often is the pukeko which is ... it looks a little bit like a stork I suppose except it's dark blue.

Todd: What's it called?

Rachel: Pukeko.

Todd: Pukeko.

Rachel: Ah, yeah, and they're a lot more common. And takahe is another one

Todd: So the first one ...

Rachel: You can see them along the side of the road. When you're driving through the countryside they're much more common.

Todd: So this pukeko, does it fly?

Rachel: No, they don't fly.

Todd: Really, and it's like a stork. It has long legs?

Rachel: It has quite long legs. Yeah, it a very cute little bird, but it's very dark.

Todd: How tall is it? Like up to your knee? Up to your hip?

Rachel: Up to your knees.

Todd: Really.

Rachel: Cute little bird.

Todd: That's awesome. So what was the other one you mentioned?

Rachel: Takahe. It's very similar looking to that one. It's a little different. It's difficult to tell apart.

Todd: Really, and it's also kind of dark blueish.

Rachel: Yeah, another one's a kakapo. A very famous one. It's New Zealand's flightless green parrot. It's kind of like a large fat parrot that lives on the ground.

Todd: Really.

Rachel: It's extremely rare. I'm not sure what the numbers are now, but around twenty years ago I think there were only 45 left

Todd: Oh, that is rare.

Rachel: Extremely rare, so there's an intensive breeding program for them, and of course nobody's seen those in the wild.

Todd: Yeah, you have to be careful or it'll go like the way of the Tasmanian tiger.

Rachel: Yeah, they breed and they nest on the ground. They lay their eggs on the ground, so they're very vulnerable to introduced predators, to any animals.

Todd: Yeah, I know that, you don't have snakes, but I know that snakes when they got into Guam they like decimated the bird population.

Rachel: Yep. That's what would happen and that's why New Zealand immigration customs is very strict about what kind of animals you can bring in. We don't even have snakes in zoos.

Todd: That's smart.

Rachel: Michael Jackson famously came to New Zealand in the 1980's and wanted to bring his pet snake with him and he wasn't allowed to.

Todd: Oh, good on you.

Rachel: There were no exceptions to that rule.

Todd: Are there any other birds that don't fly? For example do you have penguins?

Rachel: Oh, yes, there's lots of penguins in New Zealand.

Todd: In the south right?

Rachel: Yeah, in the south. Oh, they come up to the north sometimes.

Todd: Really, that far north?

Rachel: Yeah, occasionally. The big colonies are down south.

Todd: Ah, that's amazing. How cool. Any other birds that don't fly?

Rachel: Not that I can think of off the top of my head. I'd have to look it up on the Internet.

Todd: No, that's still though ... that's quite a few. That's so nice.

Rachel: The most famous was the moa of course.

Todd: The moa?

Rachel: Which is an ostrich sized bird.

Todd: Oh, really.

Rachel: Yeah, but they were ... they were killed off before Europeans arrived in New Zealand.

Todd: Oh, easy hunting.

Rachel: They were easy hunting. Yeah. And a big feast.

Todd: It's funny how when you go to a place, you really want to see like a local animal, so last year I went to the Middle East. I went to U.A.E and Oman, and I just wanted to see a camel. I wanted to see a camel so bad, and I thought like I'd go down the road..

Rachel: Everyone drives a Mercedes these days.

Todd: and there'd be a camel, and I was kind of going out in the countryside. I wasn't just in the city, and I never saw a camel, and I was asking people that work there, and they're like, "yeah, you do see them" but I was just so heartbroken that I never saw a camel.

Rachel: Ooh!

Todd: It's one of my favorite animals. I just think they look so cool, so when I go to New Zealand, I have to make sure I see a kiwi.

Rachel: But you'll have to go to the kiwi house.

Todd: The Kiwi House.

Rachel: The Kiwi House it's called. Or just look up zoos.

Todd: And they got 'em?

Rachel: Yep, they got 'em there. But you won't just see them driving around.