Callaeas cinereus (J. F. Gmelin, 1788:363)
South Island kokako, Orange-wattled crow, Orange wattled crow, Kōkā (Māori)
Taxonomy & Nomenclature
A complete synonymy taken from (Checklist Committee (OSNZ), 2022:207-208):
Glaucopis cinerea Gmelin, 1788: Syst. Nat., 13th edition 1(1): 363. Based on the “Cinereous Wattle-bird” of Latham 1781, Gen. Synop. Birds 1: 364, pl. 14 – Queen Charlotte Sound, Marlborough.; Cryptorhina Callaeas Wagler, 1827: Syst. Avium 1: sp. 5 – New Zealand.; Callaeas cinerea (Gmelin); G.R. Gray 1843, in E. Dieffenbach, Travels in N.Z. 2: 191.; Callaeas cenerea Gmelin [sic]; Anon. 1870, Cat. Colonial Mus.: 73. Unjustified emendation.; Callaeas cinerea cinerea (Gmelin); Checklist Committee 1953, Checklist N.Z. Birds: 68.; Callaeas cinereus (Gmelin); Dickinson & Christidis 2014, Howard & Moore Complete Checklist Birds World, 4th edition, 2: 174.
Conservation Status
Missing
Last record: c.1947-48 (Stewart Island) (second hand report) (Martin, 1950); 1958 (Otago, South Island) (Scott, 1965); 1961 (South Island); 1967 (Clout & Hall, 1981; McBride, 1981; Tyrberg, 2009:103); 2007 (Martin et al., 2023)
IUCN RedList status: Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct)
The South Island kokako (top) is one of two species of the Kokako, the other being the North Island Kokako (below). A late sighting from 15 February, 1958, in the Wilkin Valley (Chapman, 1959). The last known sighting of the South Island Kokako is either January 1961 (Read, 1966) or 1967 in the Teal Valley, Mt Aspiring National Park (Clout & Hall, 1981; McBride, 1981). Interestingly, a secondhand record from Stewart Island in the 1940's exists (Martin, 1950).
Innumerable reported sightings have been made since 1967, which appear to invariably post-date 1989. Milne & Stocker (2014) compiled a list of 241 reports between January 1990 and June 2012 (see their [url=https://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Milne%20%26%20Stocker%20supplementary.pdf]supplementary information[/url]). In an unprecedented move, the OSNZ Records Appraisal Committee accepted a report from March 2007 (Miskelly et al. 2013:300-301) as confirming the persistence of this species. This was followed by (BirdLife International, 2016), although they listed the species as "possibly extinct", following (Bain, 2009) in considering recent reports "not deemed to be credible".
However, no specimen or photographic or videographic evidence has been produced in decades, a scientific standard that is (almost) universally upheld in order to confirm a rediscovery. In addition, the fact that almost all reports appear to post-date 1989 is interesting. One possible explanation is that this reporting bias is due to increased publicity of the species, however that would only explain why reports are being made now, not why the sightings themselves have only been made post-1989. Another explanation is that an increased human population (or at least that which comes into contact with the relevant habitat) now encounters the species more often. This wouldn't explain the apparent severe disjunction between pre-1990 and post-1989 reports.
The most natural explanation is that the increased reports coincide with an increased Kokako population, from near extinction to today's seemingly healthy population. However, this is inconsistent with the complete lack of objective (i.e. non-eyewitness) evidence of the species. In conclusion then, many of the recent reports are the result of misidentification, perhaps of released or vagrant North island kokako's. If the South Island kokako survives at all, the global population is likely to be extremely small and may not even be viable. It is listed as extinct in the official "Amendments to the 2010 Checklist of the birds of New Zealand" published by the Ornithological Society of New Zealand (Miskelly et al., 2022).
Distribution
South Island & Stewart Island, New Zealand
Biology & Ecology
Hypodigm
At least 1 specimen is in the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa ornithological collection.
OR.029158 (collected January 1873)
ZMA 6594 (adult; sex unspecified)
ZMA 6595 (adult male)
Media
Above: Reproduced courtesy of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Above: South Island Kokako, Callaeas cinerea, collected January 1873, Freshwater Basin, Milford Sound, New Zealand. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (OR.029158)
Above: South Island Kokako, Callaeas cinerea. CC BY 4.0. Te Papa (OR.029159)
Above: Glaucopis wilsoni and Glaucopis cinerea. Plate 17. From the book A history of the birds of New Zealand., 1873, by Johannes Keulemans. Te Papa (RB001176/017a)
Above: South Island Kokako. Callaeas cinereus. From the series: Extinct Birds of New Zealand., 2003, Masterton, by Paul Martinson. Purchased 2006. © Te Papa. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (2006-0010-1/10)
References
Original scientific description:
Gmelin, J. F. (1788). Caroli a Linné, Systema naturae per regna tria naturae secundum classes, ordines, genera, species cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I, part I. Lipsiae: Impensis Georg. Emmanuel Beer.
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http://www.southislandkokako.org/
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11163639 [recent sightings, one is accepted as a definite sighting]
http://www.osnz.org.nz/sites/osnz.org.nz/files/publications/2014%20Abstracts.pdf
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/the-country/news/article.cfm?c_id=16&objectid=12066913
https://extinctanimals.proboards.com/thread/8710/callaeas-cinerea-south-island-kokako
https://www.rewild.org/news/possibly-heard-and-maybe-seen-the-search-for-the-south-island-k-kako
Acknowledgements
Full attribution of the images courtesy of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa:
[url=http://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/objectdetails.aspx?oid=533792&imagesonly=true]South Island Kokako, Callaeas cinerea cinerea Gmelin, 1788[/url], collection date and precise locality unknown, South Island, New Zealand. Reproduced courtesy of Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa under a [url=http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/nz/deed.en]CC BY-NC-ND licence[/url].