The Kagu - Rhynochetos
jubatus - is Endemic to the
forests and shrublands of New Caledonia and New Guinea.
It is a ground-living bird, with unusually bright plumage for a bird of the
forest floor. It is ash-grey and white coloured. It possesses bright red legs
which are long and strong, enabling the bird to travel long distances on foot
and run quickly. It has large eyes, positioned so that they give good binocular
vision which is helpful in finding prey on the forest floor amongst the leaf
litter. It possesses 'nasal corns', structures covering its nostrils, which are
a feature not shared by any other bird. Male and female similar and have powder
downs which insulate and keep the bird dry.
The crest, which is used to display to other
members of the species, is barely noticeable when at rest but can be erected
and fanned out. It is nearly flightless, using its wings for displays and for
moving quickly through the forest. It can also use them to glide when fleeing
danger. The wings are not reduced in size like some other flightless birds.
Almost flightless, it a spends its time on or
near the ground, where it hunts its invertebrate prey, and builds a nest of
sticks on the forest floor. Both parents share incubation of a single egg, as
well as rearing the chick. It has proved vulnerable to introduced predators,
and is threatened with extinction.
Société Calédonienne d’Ornithologie (SCO – BirdLife in New Caledonia)
have received support from the USFWS Wildlife Without Borders –
Critically Endangered Species Conservation Fund to help save their
national bird from extinction.
Kagus are listed as Endangered by BirdLife International on behalf of
the IUCN Red List, and is the only living member of the family
Rhynochetidae. Physical features of Kagu that make it distinct from
other birds include its dramatic displays with its strikingly banded
wings.
As with many bird species endemic to the Pacific, Kagu evolved
without mammalian predators and its lifestyle – it is flightless and
ground-nesting – makes it highly susceptible to predation, particularly
by recently introduced mammals such as dogs, cats and pigs.
SCO have been striving to improve knowledge about the birds of New
Caledonia, and is involved in the projects to protect both the birds and
the habitats upon which they depend. In 2008, SCO compiled a ten year
Kagu Recovery Plan.
This newly funded project deals with a crucial aspect of the Kagu
Recovery Plan, namely the documentation of its distribution and density
in priority areas. The most robust method for determining this (the
first step in aiding their recovery) is to monitor Kagu calls using
sound recorders. These are favored because Kagu are found in remote
difficult-to-access forested areas, and only call for short periods of
the day.
SCO have tested the recording equipment to ensure its efficacy and
now urgently need funds to undertake island-wide surveys in areas where
Kagu have previously been recorded. SCO will also train local “Kagu
Listeners” – members of the local communities – to collect additional
data and increase the capacity for on-the-ground conservation of the
species.
Funds from the USFWS Critically Endangered Animals Fund amounts to
about half of the total project costs, and will be used to implement
some of the Kagu Recovery Plan’s most important aspects, through:
- Assessment and monitoring of Kagu populations at four Kagu refuges
- Raising awareness and enabling local communities to protect Kagus.
- Establishing community Kagu monitoring.
This project is a vital part of a wider program of work to save the
Kagu (which includes funding from The BBC Wildlife Fund) from extinction
by identifying new locations which will become a focus for addition
conservation actions, and increasing the capacity of local people to
help conserve this charismatic species and national emblem of New
Caledonia.