The 

Takahē, also known by its scientific name, the Porphyrio-hochstetteri, is a flightless bird endemic to New Zealand
and so therefore cannot be naturally found anywhere else in the world. It is not known how or when the Takahē
arrived in New-Zealand, though it was first encountered by Europeans in 1847. The final Takahē was captured in
1898, but after this they were presumed extinct until their rediscovery by Geoffrey Orbell in the Murchison
Mountains, Fiordland National Park, 1948. The Takahē are now nationally vulnerable, with around 350 of them being
recorded in 2017. Due to varying aspects causing a decline in Takahē numbers, some of these birds have been taken
to offshore Islands such as Kapiti Island as well as reserves on the mainland to ensure survival.

There are many aspects today that negatively affect the Takahē population, like predators such as stoats (Mustela
Erminea), and rats (ship rat, Norway rat and Kiore), as well as competitors such-as the Red deer (Cervus Elaphus).
The introduction of mammals to New Zealand, majorly impacted the Takahē population, causing a decline in
numbers; however, takahe numbers increased with pest control, showing an obvious pattern on what affects the
Takahe population. Settlers first arriving to New Zealand brought in new mammals such as, the red deer brought
over in 1861 for recreational hunting, stoats brought to kill the rabbit population in 1879 and rats which were
brought by Maori settlers as a food source over 700 years ago.

Before settlers arrived, there were no ground-based predators, therefore Takahē did not need to be able to fly, and
instead they adapted to hide in bushes and conserve their energy. This caused Takahē to lose their ability to fly as
their wing size became smaller and their body size increased. The surface area to Volume of a Takahē’s body means
that they can live in alpine regions, such as the Murchison Mountains where the climate is on average 11.4 degrees
Celsius, this adaption means they can restrict heat loss with their large body. When new predators were introduced,
this adaption meant Takahē were unable to fly away and seek safety. The introduction of stoats and rats (biotic
factor) saw a massive decline in Takahē, as these predators can kill not only adult Takahē, but also eat Takahē eggs,
meaning that there are less chicks hatched. Not only are Takahē slow to breed, but they also lay their eggs on the
ground (due to them being flightless) meaning that predators like stoats and rats who breed in high numbers have
easy access to their eggs. Beach tree masting is when trees overproduce seeds and so the seed is dropped on to the
ground, allowing predators such as stoats and rats to reproduce in higher numbers. According to Takahē- back from
the brink, beach masting happened between the years 2004-2005, which greatly affected the Takahē population in
the years following.

According to data, there was a stoat plague in the years 06 to 07, causing the takahe population to steeply decline.
From 1981 the takahe population had been gradually increasing, until this stoat plague, where the numbers dropped
from almost 300 takahe in 06/07 to around 230 takahe in 07/08. The stoat plague was a result of the beach tree
masting of 04/05, which allowed the pest population to explode as they had a constant supply of nutritious food,
allowing them to reproduce and once the seed had run out they turned to the Takahē as a food source.

In 2002 a trapping system was set up in the Murchison mountains to reduce stoat predation on Takahē. These traps
targeted 15,000 hectares of the environment. In that specific year, the Takahē population peaked at 150 birds, but
then dropped to 92 birds. Research done during a census, shows that the area where traps were placed had an
increase of Takahē by 2%, meaning that in areas without traps, there was a decline of just under 40%. This shows
that when pests such as stoats are successfully trapped, Takahē are no longer under predation and therefore an
incline of numbers occurs. The graph below, provided by Otago’s Department-of-Zoology also shows how there was
a higher hatching rate in the areas where trapping was prevalent, for example-in 1998 there was an 80% hatching
success in areas with traps, compared to around-a 45% hatching success in non-trapped areas.
The introduction of red deer into New Zealand left both animals competing for the same source of food, snow
tussock (Chionochloa). Takahē are herbivores and though they do eat other plants, the snow tussock when available
is a major part of the Takahē’s diet as well as their nesting space. The deer strip the Takahē’s much needed nutrients
from the snow tussock meaning that the Takahē are-not getting the nutrition needed to survive and reproduce,
resulting in a population decline. The deer also trample the plants, ruining the vegetation which is very slow to
replenish. Takahē adapted behaviourally to the deer by becoming territorial and refusing to move from their area
when deer are present, this adaption is negative as it means often, they are trampled to death.

In order to help the Takahē population, some were taken away from their natural habitat and placed into mainland
reserves and predator free offshore islands, these populations tend to grow at slower rates compared to their
natural habitat, as their normally beneficial adaptions now hinder them. For example, the bird’s size that in its
natural habitat keeps it warm now overheats the bird when placed in warm areas. Takahē’s territorial nature that
normally helps protect its food and babies now means that the birds cannot be placed too close to other animals, or
they refuse to breed. As can be seen in the graph below from the Department-of-Conservation, the offshore island
population rates move at a slower rate, for example population numbers from years 98-06 in Fiordland had an
increase of around 100 birds, while offshore Islands only had an increase of approximately 30 birds. This shows how
Takahē breed more successfully in the wild.