The Blue-Wattled Crow.

Manawatu Herald, 22 May 1894, Page 2

The Blue-Wattled Crow.

.» ( Ghucopis fVikoni.) Last week Mr Frank Thynne whilst shooting pigeons near Shannon secured two specimens of the blue wattled crow, these birds are j very uncommon, and Sir Walter Buller's description of them in " Birds of New Zealand " may therefore be interesting. General plumage dark cinerous or bluish grey, tinged more or less on the upper surface of the wings and tail and on the rump and abdomen with dull brown ; a band of velvety black, half an inch broad, surrounds the base of the bill, fills the lores, and encircles the anterior portion of the eyes ; immediately above this band and continued over the eyes light ashy grey, shading into darker plumage ; quills; and tail-feathers slaty black. Irides blackish brown ; bills -and leg? black.- The wattles, which forni a distinguishing feature in this bird, are", during life, of 'a bright ultra-marine blue ; but they fade soon after -death and in a dried state become almost black, Total length 16.5 inches; extent of wings 20.5 ; wing from flexure 7.25; tnil 7.75; bill, along the ridge- 1.25, along the edge of lower mandible 1 ; tarsus 2.5 ; middle toe and claw 2.15 ; hind toe and claw 1.5. This singular representative ot the crow family is sparingly dispersed over the North Island, being very local in its distribution. It is met with more frequently in the wooded hills than in the low-timbered bottoms, but its range is to eccentric to be defined with any precision. In certain localities in the Hawkes' Bay and Wellington Provinces it is far from being an uncommon species. The native name of the bird is the Kokako. The notes of the male are loud and varied ; but the most noticeable one is a long-drawn organnote of surpassing depth and rich ness. Another of its notes may be described as a loud cackle, while others, again, are scarcely distinguishable from those of the tui, resembling the soft tolling of a distant bell. The maoris state " Where the range of the huia ceases, that of kokako begins."