Pukeko

Description:

Pūkeko is the common name, derived from the Māori language, for the Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) of New Zealand. The subspecies occurring there is Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus, which is also found elsewhere in Australasia, including, in eastern Indonesia, the Mollucas, Aru and Kai Islands, as well as in Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Notes:

According to the Heather and Robertson Field Guide, the bird seems to have become established in New Zealand about 1000 years ago. According to Millener (1981) it invaded from Australia less than 1,000 years ago. It is also assumed to have spread from Australia to New Guinea.Some assume that it became established before humans in New Zealand but all fossil occurrences are in sites younger than 400 years and there is no evidence that they were on the main islands of New Zealand before the Māori arrived (Worthy & Holdaway 1996). It may have been introduced by the ancestors of Māori. East Coast Māori say they were brought to New Zealand on the Harouta[verification needed] canoe which arrived about 24 generations ago.[3] The Aotea tribe of the West Coast say the Pūkeko was introduced by their ancestors in a boat called the Aotea. In support of the belief that it is a good flyer, and may have self-introduced, a dead Pūkeko was found on L'Esperance Rock, a tiny, isolated rock in the Kermadec group, more than 200 km from the nearest established population (Tennyson & Taylor 1989). This demonstrates the ability of swamphens to fly great distances over the sea. This ability to disperse is not unique to swamphens, but is common to all continental Rallidae, hence they are often found on remote islands.