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I still remember the first time I saw Wicca in New Zealand. While traveling in the South Island, I stayed in a lovely cottage in the woods on the west coast. On a humid, warm day, I left the door open, hoping for a breeze. Rookie mistake #1, folks: Never leave anything open when visiting the West Coast jungle. you will be wiped out Sandfly.
I looked up from my book and saw a big, fat brown bird wandering inside, probing fearlessly. What is this? I have no idea. I spent the next ten minutes chasing it away, trying to encourage it to come back outside, while it pooped everywhere. Not a good first meeting Weka. I later learned that they can poop their weight in a day. respect.
But it wasn’t until recently that I really developed a respect for them.
However, I have just returned from an adventure on the Heaphy Trail where, you guessed it, there were plenty of wika. Although I find them annoying, they are a cheeky, funny, charismatic bird that doesn’t get enough love. Give me a chance to try and win them back.
New Zealand weka has such an attitude. They are not afraid of anything, including people, and are very curious. They will beg directly for food from you (don’t feed them) and will snatch anything if you’re not alert. This is where people gather; in more remote locations, they are not so bold.
On my first day walking the Heaphy Track, I was quickly surrounded by four Wiccans while eating lunch under a small shelter. One of them was particularly brave and walked right up to me and literally growled at me when I tried to shoo it away. Or whatever the weka equivalent of growling is. More of an angry, rattling scream that sounded like it was fifty years old. any. I knew what this meant; this bold wicca didn’t flinch and just stared at me until I finished my cookie. What a powerful move.
But you have to give it to them. In a country where native birds are dying left, right and centre, Weka There seems to be a lack of self-preservation awareness. Freedom or death!
In New Zealand, weka are not particularly sexy birds. They are not as fluffy and elusive as kiwis. They don’t have the bright colors of parrots. They did not rise from the dead like the takahē, nor did they get drunk and fall from the trees like the kererū.
But in their own way, weka are beautiful. And their chicks? OMG, so cute; they look like dark brown balls of fluff. That’s saying something, because not all birds are cute. They are very interesting.
The crafty weeka is a large brown flightless bird, a sturdy and lumbering creature that belongs to the railroad family. Sometimes the larger ones are almost perfectly round, like a ball with legs. There are four subspecies, ranging in color from maroon to tawny to dark brown. Some also have a bit of gray or black mixed in. When frightened, they often jump up and run around with their tail feathers straight up, giving them an almost cartoonish look.
Extroverts in the bird world have red eyes that are beautiful but a little scary when they look at you.
Invertebrates and fruits are the Wika’s main diet, and they will destroy lawns and gardens in search of food. I can almost see grumpy old men yelling at disobedient young people to get off their lawns.
I have seen wika eating dead things and even grazing on shorelines and tidal pools. The good thing is they eat rabbits, rats, and mice, which are all pests here. But they also eat other lizards, birds, chicks and eggs, which they don’t like, especially if they prey on vulnerable species. Weka plays for his own team.
Because of this predation tendency, weikas are generally unpopular on offshore predator-free islands or ecological reserves (although some have been reintroduced to their own islands). I think this is very interesting! Kicked out of the rare bird club. Bad guy.
But then again, people on the nearby Chatham Islands still eat Wicca, and there is some movement to farm it here. I mean, move it a little bit. a rouge farmer Who will die on weka’s restaurant hill: “I’m ready to go to jail for this. You put me in jail and make me a martyr.” Haha. I love living in New Zealand.
Here, we think Australia is the only place where you can eat its iconic animals.
Regardless, we’re still a long way from eating fried wicca at the local bar. Do you fry them? Or is it more like barbecue? have no idea. I just googled it and there’s no clear answer; I hope I don’t end up on a list somewhere.
Regardless, weica are well protected here on the mainland, but they still face the same threats as our other native birds, specifically predation, habitat loss, food shortage/competition, and being hit by cars. Their populations have increased and decreased, and their distribution has also undergone great changes. Some do, some don’t. There is a restoration program that attempts to return them to their original homes. Bring Wicca back.
The social wika have long been significant to some of New Zealand’s Māori people, as they were a valuable resource for food, oil and feathers. Many early European settlers wrote about their personalities and thievery. But what I really want to know is who they harassed before people got here.
Waka is not told how to live. I admire that.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve met visitors to New Zealand who raved about how many kiwis they saw in the wild: “Oh my gosh, we saw 12 kiwis in Punakaiki during the day! That was so cool ! “Our national bird is beautiful, fluffy, nocturnal, and best of all, endangered.
You see weka—a lot of weka. Whether I burst their bubble or not really depends on my mood. I do enjoy correcting people, but I’m trying not to do that because I know it’s not one of my better qualities.
But I’m in an unforgiving mood tonight, so I hate to break it to you, but you’ll never stumble upon a kiwi, let alone a lot of it. You have to know where they hang out and look for them at night, and even then you may not see them. Rakiura/Stewart Island is one of the places where you are most likely to see kiwis in the wild.
However, if we all get on board the protection train, Free Raiders 2050maybe one day we will stumble upon 12 kiwis in the wild. How cool is that?
So to be honest, my evaluation of weka has indeed improved. I learned to ignore their annoying aspects and instead admire their competitive, unyielding demeanor. You may see them on your travels around New Zealand and any experience with a weka is great fun. They were unstoppable and left their mark on us in so many ways. Especially if they’ve ever stolen your car keys.
They have a unique story and history and deserve to stand in our canon of national birds. Inspiring. Fearless. provocative.
So maybe I’ll learn from their experience and try to go through life with the confidence of a Wiccan.
