Weka
Species of bird / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Weka?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS
This article is about a species of bird. For other uses, see Weka (disambiguation).
The weka, also known as the Māori hen[2] or woodhen (Gallirallus australis) is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus Gallirallus.[3] Four subspecies are recognized but only two (northern/southern) are supported by genetic evidence.[4]
Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...
Weka | |
---|---|
In the South Island, New Zealand | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Gruiformes |
Family: | Rallidae |
Genus: | Gallirallus |
Species: | G. australis |
Binomial name | |
Gallirallus australis (Sparrman, 1786) | |
Geographic range of the weka |
Close
The weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit. Weka usually lay eggs between August and January; both sexes help to incubate.