Looking the weka in the eye

When Europeans started looking at weka closely, they were confused over how many species there were. There was also thought to be an extinct species of little weka, known only from sub-fossils, but these days that species is thought to have been a variant of the ones we still have. The four subspecies vary in size and colouring, but the common theme is shades of brown streaked with black, the occasional patch of grey, a strong reddish-grey bill and red chicken legs. This is a western weka (Gallirallus australis australis). The western weka is the only weka subspecies that isn’t threatened. The buff weka (Gallirallus australis hectori), for instance, was once common in the east of the South Island, but is now extinct on the mainland. They’ve been reintroduced to a couple of lake islands in Central Otago, but reintroductions into Canterbury have failed. Weka are a difficult species conservation-wise. Because weka eat such a wide range of foods, including eggs and chicks of other bird species, introductions to islands that are home to other at-risk species needs to be carefully thought out.