This fuzzy beast is a western weka (Gallirallus australis australis) chick. Weka are regarded as “semi-precocial”: once the chicks hatch, they stay in the nest only a couple of days before they’re out and about in the bush with their parents. (The chicks of a fully precocial species would start moving around right after hatching. Think California quail.) Weka breed from August to February and will lay up to four clutches of 2-4 eggs. They nest on the ground, with the male and female sharing incubation. Once the chicks are hatched, they stay with the parents for a couple of months and will typically start breeding in the following breeding season.
Fuzzy weka!
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