Lynchpin... glutton... wearer of stylish overalls... there are so many ways to describe the kererū! Come and hear all about this amazing bird.

References:

Cousins, R. A. (2010). Kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)-Impact injuries, morphometrics, moult and plumage (Doctoral dissertation, MSc-thesis, massey University, New Zealand).

Carpenter, J. K., Walker, S., Monks, A., Innes, J., Binny, R. N., & Schlesselmann, A. K. V. (2021). Factors limiting kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) populations across New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 45(2), 1-15.

Clout, M. N., & Robertson, H. A. (2021). Longevity records for Chatham Island pigeon (Hemiphaga chathamensis) and New Zealand pigeon (H. novaeseelandiae). Notornis, 68, 86-88.

Goldberg, J., Trewick, S. A., & Powlesland, R. G. (2011). Population structure and biogeography of Hemiphaga pigeons (Aves: Columbidae) on islands in the New Zealand region. Journal of Biogeography, 38(2), 285-298.

Mander, C. J., Hay, J. R., & Powlesland, R. (1998). Monitoring and management of kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) (p. 44). Wellington,, New Zealand: Department of Conservation.

Website used for research:

https://www.chathamrestorationtrust.org.nz/resources/blog-and-news/spotlight-parea/

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Who new that one different shade could tell us so much about a birds evolutionary history....

References:

Ducatez, S., Giraudeau, M., Thebaud, C., & Jacquin, L. (2017). Colour polymorphism is associated with lower extinction risk in birds. Global Change Biology, 23(8), 3030-3039.

Ruzicka, F., Zwoinska, M. K., Goedert, D., Kokko, H., Li Richter, X. Y., Moodie, I. R., ... & Connallon, T. (2026). A century of theories of balancing selection. Biological Reviews, 101(2), 804-825.

Urban, L., Santure, A. W., Uddstrom, L., Digby, A., Vercoe, D., Eason, D., ... & Morales, H. E. (2024). The genetic basis of the kākāpō structural color polymorphism suggests balancing selection by an extinct apex predator. PLoS biology, 22(9), e3002755.

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Hear all about this one of a kind bird! I can't wait for you to see "hoatzin" store!

A big thank you to @theweenuthatch (instagram) for his insight and resources for this topic! Check him out for bird guiding services!

Follow me on instagram: @matt.rossella

Support the show: patreon.com/blurbs439

References:

Abourachid, A., Herrel, A., Decamps, T., Pages, F., Fabre, A. C., Van Hoorebeke, L., ... & Garcia Amado, M. A. (2019). Hoatzin nestling locomotion: acquisition of quadrupedal limb coordination in birds. Science advances, 5(5), eaat0787.

Buitrón-Jurado, G. (2014). An aberrant record of Hoatzin Opisthocomus hoazin (Statius Muller, 1976)(Aves: Opisthocomidae) in Venezuela. Check List, 10(1), 153-155.

Cracraft, J. (2022). The Hoatzin. Current Biology, 32(20), R1068-R1069.

Mayr, G. (2014). A hoatzin fossil from the middle Miocene of Kenya documents the past occurrence of modern-type Opisthocomiformes in Africa. The Auk: Ornithological Advances, 131(1), 55-60.

Mayr, G., Alvarenga, H., & Mourer-Chauviré, C. (2011). Out of Africa: Fossils shed light on the origin of the hoatzin, an iconic Neotropic bird. Naturwissenschaften, 98(11), 961.

Mayr, G., & De Pietri, V. L. (2014). Earliest and first Northern Hemispheric hoatzin fossils substantiate Old World origin of a “Neotropic endemic”. Naturwissenschaften, 101(2), 143-148.

Pagès, F. (2019). Compared and functional morphology of the hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin) (Doctoral dissertation, Museum national d'histoire naturelle-MNHN PARIS).

Other resources:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd edition.

The Science of Birds podcast episodes:

• Bird Bones: The Avian Skeleton
• The Avian Digestive System
• How Birds Fly

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