Information for Senior Secondary

Kereru

(Wood Pigeon)

• Maori name – Kereru
• Order is Columbiforms, family Columbidea
• Located in native forests all over NZ
• Inconspicuous most of the year except in the breeding season
• The distinctive sound of it wings when in flight identifies the Kereru
• Its song is a cooing sound which is rarely heard unless when mating or in trouble
• Large fruit eating pigeon, multi-coloured iridescent feathers
• Shiny green, purple and bronze with a white/grey breast
• Feet and eyes are red
• It feeds on fruits and berries and new shoots and leaves, particularly the Kowhai.  It spends time on the ground feeding on clover and herbs
• A healthy Kereru lays one egg per brood maximum of 2 broods per year
• Most eggs are laid in September through to Easter
• The male shares the nesting responsibilities with the female which takes up to 10 days
• Its nest is flimsy and therefore vulnerable to the attack from pests like rats, stoats, opossums and cats
• The eggs take a month to incubate.
• Baby chicks take 40 days inside the nest before flight
• Its vulnerable to pests