Species Fact Profile: Kagu (Rhynochetos jubatus)

                                                                               Kagu

Rhynochetos jubatus (Verreaux & DesMurs, 1860)

Range: Grand Terre Island (New Caledonia)

Habitat: Forest (Rainforest, Dry Lowland, Montane)

Diet: Earthworms, Snails, Arthropods, Lizards

Social Grouping: Solitary.  A breeding pair may share and defend a territory, but usually avoid each other

Reproduction:  Long-term (maybe lifelong) monogamous bonds.  Nest is a heap or leaves on the ground, usually butted against a fallen log or tree trunk.  Single grey, blotchy egg is incubated by bother parents for 33-37 days.  Chick may remain in parents' territory for years after hatching, but does not assist in rearing younger siblings

Lifespan: 20 Years

      Conservation Status: IUCN Endangered, CITES Appendix I

•       Measures 55 centimeters long, weighing 700-1100 grams.  Wingspan is 75-80 centimeters, but the bird lacks the musculature to really fly (it is capable of short glides)
•       Feathers are ashy-gray to white, with some barring on the primary feathers.  In adults, the bill and legs are bright red.  There is an erectile crest which can be fanned out when the bird is displaying or  otherwise excited.  Unique among birds, there are structures covering the nostrils, presumably to keep dirt out of the nose when the bird is foraging
•       Hunt by sifting through leaf litter, sometimes digging in soil with the beak or wading in shallow water.  Sometimes hunt from an elevated perch and watch for prey to come below.  Prey is detected by sight, then seized with the bill
•       Only living member of its genus, though there is a larger, now-extinct sister species, R. orarius, known only from fossils, believed to be have wiped out by first humans to the island
•       The Latin name translates to "Crested Nose-Corn," referencing both the crest and the unusual growths over the nostrils.  The common name is the native Melanesian name for this species
•       Decline caused by hunting (for food, but historically for pets overseas) and habitat loss (mining and deforestation), but primarily through predation from introduced cats, dogs, and pigs.  Predator removal and captive breeding/reintroduction programs are in effect
•       Important cultural history with native peoples of New Caledonia, with its crest being used in the headdresses of chiefs, calls incorporated into war dances.  In modern times, its call was played on TV as the local station's sign-off.  National bird of New Caledonia