North Island Kokako (Callaeas wilsoni)

About the North Island Kokako

The North Island kōkako (Callaeas wilsoni) is a forest bird endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It is grey in colour, with a small black mask. Adults have distinctive blue wattles, earning the species the moniker of blue-wattled crow, though they are not corvids. The name "kōkako" comes from its vocalization: the bird's main call has been described as a "slow, rich 'ko-ka-ko-o-o-o', trailing off at the end". The North Island kōkako can be identified by its silky grey plumage and by a pair of blue, fleshy wattles at the base of the bill. Its overall colouration is a soft, slate-grey to smoky blue hue that envelops its entire body with slightly darker colouring on the wings and tail.