Of all the New Zealand birds the kōkako is said to have the most beautiful song.  It’s ancestors have been in New Zealand since it’s split away from Gondwana.  The North Island kōkako has blue wattles, the South Island, orange—both have striking blue-grey plumage and a black face mask.

In Maori myth, it was the kōkako that filled it’s wattles with water to give to Maui as he fought the sun to slow it’s passage across the sky. It was rewarded with long and slender legs, enabling the bird to bound through the forest with ease in search of food.