Norfolk kaka facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Norfolk kaka |
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| Birmingham Museums Trust's taxidermed Norfolk kaka | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Nestor
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| Species: |
productus
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| Synonyms | |
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Nestor norfolcensis |
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The Norfolk kaka (Nestor productus) was a type of large parrot that is now extinct. It belonged to the parrot family called Nestoridae. These birds were about 38 cm (15 inches) long. They had mostly olive-brown feathers on their backs and wings. Their cheeks and throat were reddish-orange. Their chest was straw-coloured, and their thighs, rump, and lower belly were dark orange. They also had a large, noticeable beak.
The Norfolk kaka lived on Norfolk Island and the nearby Phillip Island. They spent their time in the rocks and tall trees. This bird was a close relative of the New Zealand kaka.
Contents
Discovering and Naming the Norfolk Kaka
The Norfolk kaka was first seen by naturalists Johann Reinhold Forster and his son Georg Forster. This happened when James Cook discovered Norfolk Island on October 10, 1774. However, their description of the bird was not published until 1844.
Around 1790, a man named John Hunter drew a picture of this bird. It was sitting on a plant called a kangaroo apple.
The bird was officially named by John Gould in 1836. He studied a specimen (a preserved bird) that was at the Zoological Society of London. At first, people thought the birds from Norfolk Island and Phillip Island were different species. They were called Nestor norfolcensis and Nestor productus. But later, scientists compared specimens from both islands. They found out that they were actually the same species.
John Gould first named the Norfolk kaka Plyctolophus productus in 1836.
Life and Habits of the Norfolk Kaka
We don't know much about how the Norfolk kaka lived. People said it lived both on the ground and in tall trees. It ate flowering shrubs and trees.
Gould described the bird's call. He said it was a "hoarse, quacking, inharmonious noise." He also said it sometimes sounded like a dog barking.
Why the Norfolk Kaka Disappeared
The Norfolk kaka became extinct because of humans. Polynesians lived on Norfolk Island before Europeans arrived. They hunted the kaka for food. These early settlers left the island around the 1600s.
When the first European settlers arrived in 1788, the birds were again hunted for food. They were also caught to be kept as pets. The bird's population suffered greatly when a penal colony (a prison settlement) was set up on the island. This colony was active from 1788 to 1814, and again from 1825 to 1854.
The Norfolk kaka likely disappeared from the wild in the early 1800s. This was during the time of the second penal colony. An officer named Abel D. W. Best wrote a diary in 1838-1839. He explored both Norfolk and Phillip Islands. He collected other birds, but he did not mention seeing the kaka. This suggests the kaka was already gone from the wild. The very last Norfolk kaka known to exist died in captivity in London in 1851.
Norfolk Kaka Specimens in Museums
Today, at least sixteen preserved Norfolk kaka specimens still exist. These are mostly skins kept in museums around the world. You can find them in places like the Australian Museum in Sydney, Museum Victoria in Melbourne, and the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. Other museums with specimens include the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., and the Natural History Museum in Tring, UK.
Two skins are at Naturalis in Leiden, Netherlands. One is a male, and one is a female. Both came from Phillip Island. One of these skins was bought in 1863, long after the bird was thought to be gone. It's believed it came from another collection.
See also
In Spanish: Kaka de la Isla Norfolk para niños
