Threats
habitat loss,
introduced predators
STATUS:
ESA -- ENDANGERED
IUCN -- ENDANGERED
SIZE:
Length:
20-22 inches
(51-56 cm)
Weight
1.9 pounds (0.9 kg)
CONSERVATION:
Captive breeding;
CITES trade restrictions
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Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide
The kagu is a secretive bird that prowls the forest floor
in New Caledonia, an island about 900 miles (1,450 km) east of Australia. It eats
worms and insects, and is especially fond of snails, which it eats by smashing the shell with its beak.
Kagus make loud barking noises for about half an hour before dawn. It's a sound that's growing increasingly rare in New Caledonia because kagus are almost extinct. New Caledonia's mountains have been stripped for mining and agriculture, leaving only a few valleys in the southern third of the island habitable for the kagu. The kagu is such a secretive bird that it's impossible to get an accurate count, but most ornithologists believe that only 500 to 1,000 of them survive in the wild. In addition to loss of habitat, kagus also have to contend with dogs, pigs, cats, and rats brought to the island by people. All of these introduced animals eat kagus or their eggs. With their numbers already reduced to near extinction by habitat destruction, kagus may not be able to withstand the onslaught of exotic predators.
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