Kagu
'Ghost of the Forest'
Description
- Generally gray and white; feathered
- Short tails, red beaks, eyes, legs, and feet
- About the size of a chicken, length of 22 in., wingspan of 32 in., weight of 1.5 - 2.5 lbs.
- Communicate with loud, piercing, rattling chirps
- Flightless bird
- Have 'nasal corns' to cover their nostrils
- Have crests on their heads to display to other members of species
Habitat
- Live only in the island of New Caledonia in Pacific Ocean
- Many live in rain forests, drier lowland forests, and mountain forests
- Live in nests on the ground
- Mostly in wet, dry, and tropical climates
Adaptation
- Nasal corns act as protective structures when hunting for food
- Able to move quickly to flee from danger, or to catch food
- Have quick abilities to snag prey
- Great vision and hearing to find prey or predators
- Active during day hunting, sleeping at night
Food Chain
- Eat creatures that live in the ground
- Food found underground
- Hunt beneath the soil for bugs, worms, snails, lizards, spiders, centipedes, grasshoppers, beetles
- Predators are dogs, rats, pigs, and cats introduced to island by humans
Reasons For Endangerment
- Forests on the island are being cleared for agriculture
- Humans are killing them for food, or keep as pets
- People are nickel mining in the areas
- Habitat loss also from grazing of deer
- Animals like dogs, pigs, rats, and cats are biggest threat - eat their eggs
Critical Information
- In some parts of island, predators are being controlled
- Listed as endangered under SCO (Societe Caledonienne d'Ornithologie- Birdlife in New Caledonia)
- SCO made 10- year kagu plan, 2008
- First step of plan is to improve knowledge of kagu
- Organizations need funds to protect kagu: http://www.birdlife.org/community/donate/
- Noumea Zoo is taking care
- Now protected in New Caledonia with help of organizations and government
- Found protected in Riviere Blue Park