New Zealand's most popular coloured bird is often chosen as a comical ornament for gardeners however the Pukeko was chosen by us for many reasons the most important being the way in which they bring up their young.
One nest is cared for by many female and adolescent birds. Baby chicks are fed and reared by not only their mothers but an entire brood. Pukeko will do anything to stand up for their young and protect the nest from hawks and other predators.
Pukeko feet are big, they have long toes that are excellent at walking over squishy, muddy ground. They may also use their clawed feet for fighting with Pukeko they don't know or trust. They will use those big feet when feeding too, holding shoots and ripping them with that powerful beak.
Even though Pukeko have big feet they are still clumsy but in flight pukeko can fly long distances and are good swimmers, especially considering they don’t have webbed feet.
As a Pukeko grows and matures its colours become more intense, chicks are almost completely black, juveniles look as though they have soot on their backs and legs. As they mature they get orange to red bills and legs. The bill on a male is slightly larger than the female, however it is very difficult to notice any difference. You can hear the difference, the Male's call is crow like.