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Mohua

Mohoua ochrocephala
The Mohua, also known at the Yellowhead, is a small endangered bird that is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.

Mohua is also similar to the name of their genus Mohoua, which they share with two other species, the Whitehead and Brown Creeper. They are insectivores that live in forested areas, typically feeding up in the trees. When it comes to reproduction, the females do all the incubating, but both parents spend a very long time caring for the chicks after they hatch.

Mohua were once incredibly common, but these once populous birds have seen a drastic decline in their population, as many New Zealand birds have. The culprits? Introduced rats and weasels. Those predators, combined with habitat loss, have caused a decline of around 75%.

A recovery plan is in place to protect the species, and it involves a whole lot of predator management. Luckily the Mohua breed very quickly and have large clutches, so it might be possible to restore them to their old numbers.
IUCN Status : Endangered
Location : New Zealand
Size : Body length around 6n (15cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Aves -- Order : Passeriformes
Family : Pachycephalidae -- Genus : Mohoua -- Species : M. ochrocephala
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Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 15, 2012 at 10:07 AM

    What a pretty bird. It's really too bad that it's endangered. I've read about a lot of island-endemic bird species that are declining due to introduced predators and habitat loss. I'm glad that some people are finally realizing what is happening and trying to fix it. I wish the Mohua good luck.

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