Kingdom Animalia Superorder Neoaves Infraorder Passerida Phylum Chordata Order Passerine | Infraclass Neognathae Suborder Passeri Family Callaeidae Genus Saddleback Subclass Modern birds | |
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Similar Saddleback, South Island saddleback, North Island kōkako, Stitchbird, Whitehead | ||
North island saddleback at zealandia
The North Island saddleback (Philesturnus rufusater) is a formerly endangered forest bird which is endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. Both the South Island saddleback and this species were formerly considered conspecific.
The North Island saddleback has benefited from multiple population reintroductions and is now resident on nine off-shore islands totalling approximately 7000 birds, from the original 500 birds found on Hen Island.
Having become extinct on the mainland 100 years earlier, a breeding colony of North Island saddleback was successfully established at Karori Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellington in 2002.
References
North Island saddleback Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA