The curious pukeko

Another avian blip today, this time featuring a bird that's not so graceful in the air as some of the others that I've featured.

Pukeko are a New Zealand's native swamp hen. They're not truly endemic, being a subspecies of a family of birds that is found across Australia, Oceania and southeast Asia. Ornithologists believe they've only been here about 1000 years and according to some maori legends they were brought here by their ancestors on canoes.

Whatever their origin, it's hard to imagine them flying across the South Island, let alone the Tasman. I think ungainly would be the polite way to describe their aerial skills and to me they've always seemed like a bird that is in the process of evolving into a flightless one.

This curious pukeko capture is pretty much out of the camera and has only has some grass cropped from the right of the image - yes he is that close! Having said that, he's used to people, being a resident at the lovely Kaituna Bird Sanctuary. Located at Cedar Cottage on the Akaroa Highway (know to some as the soap shop, thanks to Belinda's marvellous homemade organic soaps) the sanctuary takes in injured birds and has grown home to numerous pukekos, magpies and native ducks amongst others.

This pukeko, much to my surprise, was quite happy for me to scratch the back of his neck (something my chickens quite like too) and whilst I was snapping away he way somewhat fixated by the metal eyelets on my walking boots before he pulled my laces undone. Cheeky monkey...