Why New Zealand’s Ancient Birds Were Cooler Than Dinosaurs?!?!?

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Correction: There is no credible evidence of thylacoleo actually having ever lived on New Zealand. Thanks for all those who corrected me in the comments. Also yes I know birds are technically dinosaurs it makes for a cooler thumbnail so I couldn’t resist. Also just so you all know my spelling is terrible and yes I spent Māori wrong.

[@CasineJohnson]

@@GavinTheWildlifeGuy ok

[@markv1974]

Uhmmm cooler than dinos but birds are dinos. 😅

[@LPSWORLD456]

Ok maybe the coolest than cooler dinosaurs

[@johannageisel5390]

"Why New Zealand's Ancient Birds Are The Coolest Dinosaurs!" - There, I fixed it for you.

[@kaijuar2003]

​@markv1974 Yes, they are dinosaurs, but the title is referring to birds being cooler than NONAVIAN DINOSAURS.

[@jbrassic5434]

I'm both gutted and stoked the Haast's Eagle is extinct. Imagine having to worry about that while enjoying the outdoors. Checklist - bug spray, sunblock, warm clothes, body armour...

[@sianlloyd7226]

Growing up in NZ, my friends and I would joke about how cool it would be to tame one and fly it to school instead of having to walk

[@raceytracey6253]

year lost a few cows in the bush block today bloody Eagles

[@brianmaiden1185]

The article about Haast's Eagle on the Badass of the Week website is pure gold. It's a moral imperative that you read it now. You're welcome.

[@Ryun-Ryujin]

@sianlloyd7226 omg same.

[@andyhayward1261]

@@jbrassic5434 body armor won’t save you when the Haast eagle picks you up and drops you off a cliff!

[@TheWarAtHome]

I can't tell you how gutted I am we don't have the Moa in New Zealand, that would've been so wonderful. As for the Haast Eagle, I know it would've been a danger to some humans, but still, how amazing would it be to see something so large in the skies.

[@maisiesummers42]

Would've made skiing extra fun!

[@DragonMaster-l5d]

Fr

[@alfnoakes392]

Would have been a great way to keep the god-children in line "Behave or we will leave you out on the back lawn on your own and I saw an eagle earlier ..."

[@alfnoakes392]

Rats and mustelids (stoats, ferrets and weasels) are still a major threat to New Zealand wildlife. Active trapping of these pests and of possums (all introduced by humans) is necessary if Kiwi etc are to survive. I am a volunteer trapper on a Kiwi Reserve halfway up the North Island, and it has taken a lot of volunteer hours to slowly roll back pest numbers (I caught over 30 mustelids in my first year when I started nearly 15 years ago, last year I caught 3) in our Reserve, and the increased Native bird numbers (deliberated introduced and 'migrating in') and birdsong are testament to the increased health of the forest environment. Would be lovely to have some of the ancient species still around, but some of the survivors are pretty cool, for example the Kaka (known for breaking into campers kit, and pulling bits off cars) shown at 19:15, and lovely Morepork. If you visit New Zealand, go to Zealandia in Wellington, a 'reserve in the City' where New Zealand's birds can be seen easily (even Kiwi if you do the Night Tour) pretty much in their natural habitat.

[@neonbinarylink]

Minor note, kākā are the ones who will ring bark trees! It's their cousins the kea that destroy cars in the alpine regions. But yes, Zealandia is SUCH a cool place, and it's close to where I live!! We get kākā hopping around on our balcony sometimes haha, they're so cool. I love that you're a volunteer trapper!! My brother is too, and here in Te Whanganui-a-tara Wellington they just recently successfully made one suburb predator free!!! It's so cool!

[@GoodieWhiteHat]

Good for you. 👏 It’s putting your concerns into action. It’s also the only way to fix the problem.

[@ionastewart8814]

Fellow Kiwi here! Thanks for everything you do for our wildlife!

[@JosephineMaKoala-ig3yb]

😲 Wow THAT 🅰️+_!DETAIL

[@alfnoakes392]

@@neonbinarylink Thanks for the correction, we do not get either of these delightful hooligans in our Reserve, we are too far north and the reserve is not predator-fenced due to public roads passing through it.

[@Lowlandlord]

Rocco, my parrot, found the Moa call to be alarming. He doesn't respond to most animal sounds, just other birbs, and dogs (the people that bred him also bred dogs). Doesn't even bat an eye when he hears a cat meow or cow moo. He also stopped eating for a second for the laughing owl call.

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

😂 that’s funny but I can’t blame him lol.

[@Superkoolaid857]

What species is your parrot by chance?

[@The_Mythical_Potato]

I've lost count of how many times a cool and unique species went extinct because humans did an oopise woopsie 💀

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Facts

[@thelittleal1212]

This is why we can’t have nice things 😞

[@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434]

​​​@@thelittleal1212apparently it was better if human never progressed beyond stone age hunter and stayed in Africa, Southern Eurasia, and Southeast Asia because many animals at that region already coexist with early hominid thus already used to bipedal ape's antic. No wonder plenty of megafauna still can survive in relatively recent time, if not hunted excesively

[@goblez5900]

Humans or just the Maori?

[@sairajmenon556]

@@goblez5900 They meant us as a whole. On one hand, I get it, we only cared about survival way back when, but I never put to doubt that greed or over-exploitation didn't factor in. It's just, sad to think we there were megafauna across the world, that have been lost to time, a lot of it by us, directly and indirectly. The man-led fire extinction of Australia. The ice age beasts of Eurasia. The sloths of America. And the giant lemurs of Madagascar. But even if they lived on today, I'm sure we'd treat them the same as any other modern-day megafauna. We didn't value them until we remembered what we forgot.

[@Fannie_Liqour]

favourite bird is hands down the morepork youll be camping and someone goes "morepork" then they all start popping out using there call there really communicative and funny.

[@stephenking4170]

Moreporks can speak 3 languages. In ENglish, they say "More Pork" In Maori they say "Ru ru"and when in Australia they say "Boo book" Trilingual birds !

[@cadams1607]

Absolutely, got a few that live on my land near the Tararua ranges. I love sitting out on the deck listening to their call.

[@Fannie_Liqour]

@ yes, js sitting there and saying morepork to see if they out yet

[@Fannie_Liqour]

@@stephenking4170 I actually didn’t know that I knew they were called rurus and they’re call was a good omen but that’s about it

[@missfoxylocksnz]

Owls are just cute ♥

[@dodoxasaurus6904]

Fun fact, Sub fossil remains show that the last species of Moa to go extinct that survived the longest, was actually the Giant north island moa, which is most shocking because it was the second largest species and lived on the most populated human island at the time.

[@JacksonDemetrios-Formella]

Wait, is there a estimated time for one? It went extinct

[@charlieunderwood1311]

It may be that they were less easy to kill in bulk; if they were more solitary, lived in denser forests and nested in remote areas it would give it an advantage over herding forms that had communal nesting in lowlands.

[@JacksonDemetrios-Formella]

That’s really cool thanks I just really wish these things were around today

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Interesting I wish I knew that before so I could of of included it in the video

[@RatelHBadger]

​@@GavinTheWildlifeGuy have you visited the Moa museum in Wanganui. There are several North Island Giant Moa skeletons on regular display, as well as placards around showing how the understanding of them has changed overtime. Including going from the giraffe looking upright poses, to the more ostrich style more rounded neck and hunched shoulders approach. Still fearsome in size, but not quite so, neck sticky uppy.

[@paulak7963]

My 2 favourite NZ birds are the gorgeous wee friendly Fantail and the cheeky Kea. I also do love the the sweet sound of the Tui. Like the Fantails, Keas don't seem to be that afraid of people. I have seen them being fed up at the skifields and have experienced them a few times trying to dismantle our car at stops on the way into to Milford Sound, Fiordland. This was really interesting TY. I know a bit about the Moa and Haast Eagle but had not heard of the rest. Its such a shame these birds are now gone.

[@mvb88]

You'll like the Kea until it starts dismantling your car

[@garymalone547]

Tui are amazing flyers. My favourite.

[@David_K_Booth]

Fantails are lovely, but they aren't being friendly when they chatter at you. It's a distraction - you are too close to the nest, and they are signalling "look at ME, follow ME, get away from my partner and my chicks".

[@AidestheKiwi]

Your absolute offense you take of the Kakapo is hilarious 😂

[@aleksandriakirkland4506]

Another fun fact: the Māori name for a good amount of birds primarily came from phonetically replicating their calls, especially the Moa, which is pronounced as mor-ah instead of mow-wah to reflect the sound of their call

[@uggali]

Moa is also what they call chickens in the cook islands so it was probably an imported name

[@tepouogle969]

Much wildlife is named after their calls but moa is the name of a cook island chicken.

[@Fletcherbird]

This looks great! Gonna watch while I eat my dinner!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks for your support and enthusiasm as always!

[@freestyleawesome]

maori in the building cuz?

[@steams6827]

Man, I wish moas were still chilling in New Zealand

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Agreed

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

Well, you can thank the Maori for that. 😡

[@prasetyodwikuncorojati2434]

​@@GavinTheWildlifeGuyat least various kiwi species still exist and its conservation was partially success in small island, where no stoat and feral dog roaming

[@eoinc9511]

Go to the Caitlins

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

@@steams6827 Well, you can thank the Maori for that. 😡

[@Skyypixelgamer]

Hey great video , but I have to mention that at 17:17 you say thylacoleo lived on New Zealand. The only thing I know that brings this up is “mysteries of New Zealand: Thylacoline Zealandus” but that’s a speculative biology video. The only land mammal from New Zealand we know of was the Saint Bathans mammal. A archaic mammal that didn’t fall with in placental or marsupial mammals.

[@RenaMoonn]

I really hope we get more St. Bathans mammal material. I really wanna know where it fits on the mammal family tree. It’s definitely not a Therian or Monotreme, but what extinct group was it apart of

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks for the correction at the time of filming this video I didn’t research to in depth the topic of thylacoleo on the island and simply just heard about it and thought it was cool enough to be mentioned.

[@Skyypixelgamer]

@@GavinTheWildlifeGuy no problem mistakes happen. Besides that this video was really accurate. Keep up the good work!

[@Skyypixelgamer]

@@RenaMoonn yeah the Saint bathans mammal is so interesting as it opens a whole new lineage of mammals we’ve never even knew about!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

@@Skyypixelgamer I heard a tincy bit about it but I do want to research it more. I didn’t mention that at all in the video as I know it went extinct a very long time ago (at least to our knowledge).

[@Mcfreddo]

You've done a wonderful job at this video. Very educational.

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks

[@ChurchSleazy]

Thank you for actually bringing this up. Its wild to think that less than a thousand years ago Dinosaurs were still the dominant land animals on an entire microcontinent. Beyond that I dont think it gets addressed enough that for a significant portion of the Cenozoic the Southern hemisphere was still mostly dominated by theropod dinosaurs instead of mammals such as South America before the Great American Interchange. But Zealandia was truly the last bastion of Dinosaurian terrestrial dominance and Humanity got there just soon enough to witness (and possibly be respondible for) its last breath. Amazing as it is dissappointing.

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Agreed

[@StuffandThings_]

The amazing thing is the botany of NZ and New Caledonia is _still_ basically ripped straight from the Middle Cretaceous. And while much of the rainforest has been cleared and much of the rest of the tropical and subtropical bits is in questionable shape, its still there. I absolutely adore the biology of Zealandia and am constantly amazed at how underrated it is, particularly the botanical aspect.

[@Neolithickneegrow]

@@ChurchSleazy not possibly responsible for, they were responsible for.

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

Possibly?!?

[@alfnoakes392]

@@StuffandThings_ Yup. I'm out in an original subtropical forest every couple of weeks doing my trapping, and sitting up on a bank looking through a treescape that would be recognisable to a dinosaur is pretty special.

[@neonbinarylink]

One of the things that a lot of people overseas also don't realise in regards to our endangered and recently extinct birds is that a huge contributing predator is cats. Not just feral cats, but actual tame and pet cats. Due to the lack of predatory mammals, cats are basically top of the food chain here. They're allowed to freely roam outside for that reason, and it's been that way since forever. No matter how much most NZers love our native birds, trying to convince NZers that they need to confine their cats to indoors is one of the hardest environmental challenges we have to face if we want to keep our native birds safe. Edit: also dogs let off their leash in native reserves. Just their presence around a bird's ground-level nest is enough for the parent bird to abandon the nest completely. So many cat and dog owners are irresponsible in that regard, and as someone who is part of a native reserve bird monitoring group it's so frustrating, sometimes devastating, seeing people ignore the signs like that.

[@joshuatang5250]

Cats do have one predator: CARS (Legit though, they are really bad for native birds)

[@StuffandThings_]

One of the big problems with cats also is toxoplasmosis, makes people a bit _too_ quick to defend those fluffy little ecological disasters. Really, they aught to just be straight up banned in areas with very high bird endemism, otherwise inevitably they'll cause issues. In Hawaii people even feed the feral cats and push back against any attempt to cull them.

[@neonbinarylink]

@@StuffandThings_ no, I don't think the toxoplasmosis theory applies here. Firstly, because it's not just about the presence of cats as pets in this country; it's about affording them the freedom to roam unchecked. If there were any health risk to them in roaming, eg predators or disease, responsible owners would happily change their behavior. Secondly, it's not just cat owners; dog owners are similarly defensive of their pets. Even my own relatives, despite my vocalising the issue, will still let their dogs off leash in areas this is not allowed, because "oh my dog is well trained" or "oh there's no nesting birds/children/etc around right now". Unfortunately these people likely won't change and learn until they experience the worst outcomes: their animal gets caught killing a native bird and they're not only fined but the animal is put down. It's not the kind of pet, it's the owner.

[@outdooradventureswithcam2601]

Can people stop bringing animals here to deal with the pests, all they’re going to do is become pests.

[@Anthoberries]

Absolutely. I'm a cat lover and have two of my own, but they are rescues and strictly indoor cats. Even with that said, I agree. They are one of the biggest predators to our native bird life and honestly I wish most cat owners would keep theirs indoors, or at least have secured outdoor areas for them.

[@Rockyslammer]

Ty for giving my home of NZ some very important coverage

[@DS.proudkiwi]

I have Morepork nesting outside my place,i love listening to them at night, they awesome, same with so many of our birds . I been doing everything i can where i live to take out predators and grow trees for food for them.

[@daved2820]

When going through the bush or the highlands in NZ I always get this sort of uncanny feeling from time to time that I’m supposed to be sharing this land with giants that were wiped out from back to back blows from my Māori and European ancestors and I’m gutted I’ll never get to see what they saw.

[@Bohdigray9145]

Finally, a video where New Zealand gets the recognition that deserves

[@KeeWeeFruut]

As a kiwi, I fucking hate the fact that we brought over rats when we first arrived, would’ve been such a nicer place without them and the issues they caused the birds.

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

I'm glad you're aware of the problem, you seem like an intelligent person. 👍

[@nikoterangiita9571]

Tbf they brought them over as food not knowing what land they would find

[@KeeWeeFruut]

@ yea but it’s so sad that we lost so many species due to them

[@1pixman]

Original Rats on the Wakas. Canoe were vegetarian rats Kiore. It was European ships that had the Ship rats they devastated the bird life eating eggs and chicks..

[@JoshTrager-j9g]

@@1pixman There isn't a rat on earth that's "vegetarian". They'll eat literally anything, kinda like us humans, which is part of what makes them such destructive invasive pests. ALL the rats brought by humans to NZ were bad, not just the ones brought by Europeans.

[@martinphilip8998]

It’s delightful to hear a human voice.

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

I know my voice ain’t the best but honestly I and many others can’t stand the ai voices that are way to prevalent now a days in educational videos.

[@martinphilip8998]

@ My theory is that many of them must use AI because they don’t speak English. You can tell from the scripts. If I lived in Burkina Faso I might try to earn a living that way.

[@GodessSiri]

NZ birds are awesome. I have a kowhai tree right outside my upstairs lounge window and the tuis love it. I swear they show off flitting around no more than 2 meters from my window as long as I don't have my phone in my hand, but the moment I try to record them they take off.

[@holycow6390]

3:04 I love listening to foreigners pronounce Māori 🤣🤣

[@imabeabananatoday]

Same lol , I even write a comment to show how to pronounce it 😂

[@LindaGrey-wm9uc]

The story of Hatupatu and the Birdwoman, from NZ. In the central North Island by Atiamuri, is a peculiar hill, rising steep like a pimple. You can climb it today, but its not easy. This was the lair of the Birdwoman. She spotted Hatupatu, and decided to eat him. Hatupatu hid from her in a hollow rock. In anger, she burnt down the forest, still Hatupatu was able to survive. The rock still stands beside the highway as a tourist spot. You can climb into it today. The 'laughing owl' is called a 'morepork', because that is what it says.. more pork!

[@JayX7]

isn’t it two different owls? laughing owl is extinct

[@eleganteaura]

Best video I’ve ever seen on this topic

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Wow thanks, I know a lot of people have covered this topic already. Good to know I’m the favorite. 😊

[@seandewar47]

Fun fact: based on Maori cave art, the Haast's eagle likely had bald heads or redced feathers, or even a light colored head and (based on their beak and head anatomy) ate their prey like modern-day Vultures by eating the oraphaces of their moa prey

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

I know that theory of the Haast Eagle being a scavenger is controversial but it is very interesting to wonder. Also the bald head is interesting as I haven’t seen that in modern depictions much but is very likely and I should have mentioned that in the video.

[@dirtypms]

There's a description of the Hokioi that describes a black and white feather pattern with some red or green feathers. Hokioi is another name attributed to Haast's eagle. Edit: “Its colour was red and black and white. It was a bird of black feathers, tinged with yellow and green; it had a bunch of red feathers on the top of its head. It was a large bird, as large as the moa.”

[@seandewar47]

@GavinTheWildlifeGuy having a bald head doesn't mean it has to be a Scavenger per se, it's more than likely a hunter, however the bald heads was likely an adaptation to oraphace eating it had to do due to how large the moas were

[@dirtypms]

​​@@GavinTheWildlifeGuyif you want, I can post the quote on here: “Its colour was red and black and white. It was a bird of black feathers, tinged with yellow and green; it had a bunch of red feathers on the top of its head. It was a large bird, as large as the moa.”

[@emilyharris2693]

We’ve literally found Moas with injuries to the bone caused from Haast’s eagle’s talons… Also, can we really trust the people that wiped out the moas, in turn wiping out the Haast’s eagle?

[@FroggDX]

Great video, i love seeing outsiders view of our wildlife here in NZ past and present

[@linden5165]

While we've sadly lost some species, those we still have are highly valued and a lot of work and passion goes into keeping and nurturing living populations. Our takahē are doing so well now.

[@marlifords4026]

Thank you I really enjoyed this!

[@jacobturner3910]

I love the Laughing Owl, along with the others aswell, i studied the Laughing Owl 2 years ago, awesome video, liked and subbed

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks and yes laughing owls are super underrated.

[@KGTiberius]

New subscriber earned! Well done!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks!!!

[@indyreno2933]

The Haast's Eagle (Harpagornis moorei) is an extinct eagle species that inhabited New Zealand, it was one of the largest eagles that ever lived, its closest known relatives are the Thick-Boned Eagle (Dynatoaetus pachyosteus) and the Mather's Eagle (Dynatoaetus gaffae) and the closest living relatives of all three species are the Pygmy Eagle (Milvaetus weiskei), the Little Eagle (Milvaetus morphnoides), the Gurney's Eagle (Uroaetus gurneyi), and the Wedge-Tailed Eagle (Uroaetus audax), all these species are members of a unique tribe of true eagles known as Uroaetini, which is exclusively native to Oceania, this tribe was once more diverse containing many eagle species native to Oceania, many eagle species in the Uroaetini tribe have been known to take on large prey.

[@محمدجباری-ث1ر]

Is there any eagle larger than hasst eagle😮?!

[@indyreno2933]

@, the mather's eagle (Dynatoaetus gaffae) is larger than the haast's eagle (Harpagornis moorei).

[@محمدجباری-ث1ر]

@indyreno2933 oh! Thanks a lot for you're attention 🙂 😊.

[@princesshydec]

@@indyreno2933 Dynatoaetus gaffae was the third largest eagle to ever fly in the world that we know of. Both the haast eagle and the Gigantohierax suarezi (informally known as cuban giant kawk) were larger.

[@indyreno2933]

@@princesshydec, actually, the mather's eagle (Dynatoaetus gaffae) is bigger than both the haast's eagle (Harpagornis moorei) and the cuban eagle (Gigantohierax suarezi), which makes sense seeing how the mather's eagle was so enormous that it was big enough to prey on fully grown Diprotodon species.

[@GeeTeeNZ]

Mate, fantastic job with this - great content & fantastic presentation. Thank you & well done. One question, what is the footage of I assume David Attenborough interacting with Moa & Haast Eagles in a museum??

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks!!! It’s from the documentary Natural History Museum Alive.

[@Futterguy]

Very nice video, I'd never heard of adzebills before

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Me neither actually until I was researching this video. Originally I was just gonna make this video about the haast eagle but then I saw an opportunity to talk about some of New Zealand’s lesser known ancient birds as well.

[@gregnicolle]

The Kaka , a bug browny green coloured parrot, has been saved and is flourishing in the capital city, Wellington, thanks to the efforts of Zelandia, an organization that helps NZs native animals and who have done an amazing job with the Kaka, There is plenty outside my window at the moment, squawking. Viva nature

[@VayliraKayvex]

Amazing video, I didn't even realise so many of these fascinating creatures existed, thankyou for letting me know about these

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

@@VayliraKayvex your welcome :)

[@alangrant5278]

Ok now I am inspired to go to the museum tomorrow where they have some moas and eagles etc. great video thank. From NZ

[@resf4r]

GAVIN BIRDS! very much enjoyed watching you yap about birds for 20 minutes

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

lol thanks

[@julianthomas6899]

Enjoyed the video, the adzebill was a new one to me. Of course we now know one of our ancestors, the 'Tuang Child' was killed not by a leopard, as originally thought, but by a Crowned Eagle, the holes in the skull exactly matching the talon spread of the raptor. The Crowned Eagle only weighs around 4 -5 kg but can kill primates many times its own weight

[@briannaGD]

Love this content ❤

[@Mlgfluffy725]

I love the Te Papa Moa and Haast eagle shadow thing its so cool

[@johnfranzwa5989]

Love learning about new Zealand's animals

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Agreed

[@dirtypms]

Was already subbed but set it to all notifications btw

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

😃👍

[@dirtypms]

@GavinTheWildlifeGuy p.s. sorry if I came off like a know it all in the other chat when talking about the description. I've been researching Haast's eagle on and off for about 11 years and am glad to see others taking an interest in H. Moorei as well.

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Don’t worry about it lol

[@dirtypms]

@@GavinTheWildlifeGuy much appreciated. Think you'll do a video on the Eyles Harrier?

[@adamzabielski3685]

18:40 - Where did you find the footage from Frontier of Dreams? I've been looking for that show since my VCR broke and I couldn't watch them on video anymore

[@ryder-y1g]

I live in NZ and just a quick note the Maori weren’t the first people in NZ it was the Moriori people they were the first here they arrived around 1500 CE

[@jancyvargheese5351]

We’re the moriori people also Polynesian or East Asian?

[@have5599]

​@@jancyvargheese5351Moriori and maori people both came from other polynesian islands (and south east Asia much before that) The Moriori culture is only present in the Chathams. For some reason certain people belive the Moriori were the "original inhabitants" of nz (even worse, some of them think they were mythical celtic giants) But that is propaganda spewed by lead poisoned boomers on Facebook.

[@kierangriffin3841]

Thanks for the great and entertaining content!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks

[@neimanawatu2142]

The Polynesian rat, kiore, are vegetarian, unlike the Norwegian black rat, of the 'black death' plague variety that took a large chunk of Europe's population. The Polynesian dog with their human masters devastated the flora and fauna within a generation or two before having to adapt and live in a far less easier environment. This marks the much more pronounced warfare between the tribes as resource use became fiercely contested

[@princesshydec]

(Rattus exulans), or kiore are omnivorous species, eating seeds, fruit, leaves, bark, insects, earthworms, spiders, lizards, and avian eggs and hatchlings. Many of our frog and lizard species were wiped out by them coming to NZ with the Polynesians.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

You have missed out the BEST BIRD and we can't have that. I wrote out his story once upon a time, so here is the tale of Kiwi, and Tane Mahuta. The forest of the young land Aotearoa ( before it was New Zealand, you understand) stretched from sea to sea. It was the home of Tane Mahuta the Lord of the Forest, and it was his body and spirit too, all the green and growth Him. And a home has children in it, so did Tanes' children live in and on him. His children are the birds, and they loved their lord. All day they sang his praises. There was Tui, Bright Tui with his rainbow feathers, dancing and flashing on the forest clearings. When Tui swung his wings, the sun held its breath in awe, so did he shine in glory. And Tui sang his love of his Father, Tane Mahuta. There was Pewekaweka the Swift. He exulted in his speed, stood the stormwind on its back foot, out paced everything like the flashing thunderbolt. And Pewekaweka sang his love of his Father, Tane Mahuta. There was Kea standing up and up into the sky, above the clouds, till the sun and the moon themselves need crane back their necks to look up to him. Oh the pleasure of flying high, high, highest of all, than the fall, singing out. And Kea sang his love of his Father, Tane Mahuta. There was Kereru the canny, the learned, the wisest of them all. No turn of season, no time of fruit, no phase of the world without Kereru knew it. Every place and skill in his thought, and he was there for the ripening of the fruits their Lord provided to them, the bright flowers and berries. And Kereru sang his love of his Father, Tane Mahuta. And there was Kiwi. Not the swiftest, nor the brightest of the children, nor the most canny, but his heart was pure, and his loyalty unshakable. All the children loved him for his loves sake, sweet brother Kiwi. And Kiwi sang his love of his Father, Tane Mahuta. And their Lord held his hand over them all, the good God of their lives, the provider, the home, Lord Tane. And he loved them all equally. Long and long was the golden morning. And all that while long, did one plot and hate and plan against them all. Whiro, the evil god and banished brother of Tane, Whiro lay in his banishment and bent his hatred and gathered his forces. DEATH was in his heart for his brother, and Whiro was mighty yet. If Tane was safe from Whiros arm, safe in the shield of their mothers love, then what of the makings of his hands ?. And so the thought and the hate found a form, and Whiro gathered to him the crabs and the lice of the place of his banishment, the seabeds' darkness. And in the darkness he breathed his hate into them, held them to his evil soul, and formed them an army. From every shore at once he set them at his brother, and so came the woodlice, the beetles, the slugs, the devourers of woods, the croppers of leaves. Kill, ordered Whiro, and laughed in glee. Sudden cloud at the heart of the world ,and Tane Mahuta, cried out. Stilled the birds' cries all in a moment, and they looked around in wonder, and fear. " our Lord calls us " they called to one another, and went as a host to the clearing where Tane stood. Lord, cried the birds, we fear, what has become of the joy in the world?. Children listen to me, our enemy has struck a blow fearfully strong, said Tane. We all of us must stand together, and pit our strength against him, I need your love now, more than ever, it will be my lifesblood in this war. WE FIGHT, cried the birds in one voice. Tane looked sternly at his children, and said "Speak not so swiftly of things warlike, things you have never known in the ages of the world. To fight this enemy, and win, needs must I forge your forms anew. On the forest floor he creeps, in the darkness, in the earth itself. And so you must lose your bright feathers, for fear he sees you and is warned. You must lose your wings entire, for they will aid you not at all. You must be silent, like death is silent, for fear he hears you and is warned. In the earth, deep fortress, lays our enemy hidden, so your very shape must be bent, warped, to dig him out of his fastnesses. In the dark will you wage this war, so you need not sharp sight, it would be distraction." The birds are still. "And none of this will be painless for any of us." Still. Quiet. And quiet the voice of Kiwi. "Lord, I fight at your side." My Son, Faithful Kiwi, I knew you would, said Tane Mahuta . . . Tui, bright Tui, my son, stand you now with Kiwi and I. My LORD, you say we should lose our bright feathers?. Never again to out glory the sun?. Dull, lifeless?. I can not, you shame me, says Tui. I will that, answered Tane Mahuta. And he took up Tui, and struck his feathers black as sin. All the colour but a tuft of pure white at his throat gone in an instant. *Now will you, and your children wear this badge of shame on your neck, so all men know you a coward* Spoke Tane Tiu's doom. Pewekaweka, Swift Pewekawea, my son, stand you now with Kiwi and I. My LORD, you say we will fly no more?. My speed to be gone entire, reduced to a walking about in the dark?. I can not, you shame me, says Pewekaweka. I will that, answered Tane Mahuta. And he took up Pewekaweka, and crushed him bent and crooked. *Now will you and your children struggle to fly straight, let alone swift, so all men will know you a coward* Spoke Tane Pewekaweka's doom Kea, Kea high flyer, my son, stand you now with Kiwi and I. My LORD, you say we must lose our wings?. Never again to make on high, the ground to be mine forever?. I can not, you shame me. Says Kea. I will that, answered Tane Mahuta. And he took up Kea, and cropped his wings. *Now will you struggle for lift, the treetops will be your utmost reach.* Spoke Tane Kea's doom Kereru, wise Kereru, my son, stand you now with Kiwi and I. My Lord. What purpose would be served by forfeiting my scope of intellect, simply to provide one more mindless grunt?. I can think of many preferable options for a near omnipotent being such as yourself. I can not, you shame me. I will that, answered Tane Mahuta. And He struck Kereru stupid, witless, and only left him the hunger for the berries and flowers. *Now will you eat, and eat, without thought, and the times to come will find you and your children fat, and easy prey* Spoke Tane Kereru's doom. All the other birds failed their duty, and each and all were punished. Till only Kiwi stood at his lords side. "My son, my true loved son, now must I bring thee harm." said Lord Tane . And knelt to Kiwi's side, and struck Kiwi dumb, took his wings, his colour, his sight. He poured power into Kiwis legs, sharpened his hearing, and his sense of smell, and finally pulled his beak out long, long as a joke. "All I have taken from you, for our lives good, I can never return." said Kiwis' Lord. " The only gift I have for you now, is your name will mean Honour while the world endures". ( That story, once a thing that was told to every child here, is why we call ourselves Kiwi, and strive to be good. )

[@morningstarghuleh1087]

Kakapo were nearly hunted to extinction, rats, cats, dogs, stoats etc and pigs helped that along very quickly. Luckily conservation efforts were started around the 1890s but there were quite a few failures thanks to feral cats and stoats arriving on islands the birds had been moved to. They ended up extinct on the north island by the mid 1890s. Takahe were thought to be extinct until one was seen in a valley around Murchison in the 1940s. The north island species of takahe is extinct as well, which sucks, but at least we still have the south island guys. These two are my favorite birds and we are so blimmen lucky to still have them. I've seen takahe in real life and they're beautiful but I've not seen a kakapo yet. The Huia is my favorite extinct bird though. They were just so fascinating with the differences between male and females, beautiful to look at too but as usual humans, habitat loss and introduced animals got in the way, especially since they were rare in the first place. One of my workmates was telling me they were all over the place when she used to visit family over in Napier during the 1970s, I don't know what to believe because they hadn't been seen over that way for quite a while and if there was such a large population it would have been recorded. I always hold out hope there are some in the Urewera area. That would be amazing.

[@WillPackard-tf9oj]

Amazing video as always also I love the little edits you add

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks!!!

[@RainStreet28]

Lol I live in NZ and Thank you for making this video about the Nation.💯

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Glad I could do that, bro!

[@GuyInWalls]

I want a moa as a pet, they seem lowkey so chill. I would ride him around like a horse

[@jatsuki9408]

A bird weighing half a tonne is even crazier than you think, birds have hollow bones, that means this thing, was huge

[@lochlanbell1266]

I'm happy that youre talking about my home country.

[@Mr_Oasisss]

Same

[@allgood6760]

Yes they certainly existed their bones exist in museums. The Haast Eagle could pick up a child and we have a living dinosaur the Tuatara.. cheers mate and thanks for the video 👍🇳🇿

[@megatronacepticon]

It's scary but at the same time cool to think about how for a brief point in time humans were actually preyed upon by dinosaurs.

[@cacogenicist]

Regarding rhe video title, _T. rex_ was more closely related to extant birds than it was to multiple other theropod clades. Closer to birds than to Giganotosaurus. In other words, birds _are_ dinosaurs.

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

I know, but the title just makes things sound cooler. That’s why I kinda address it in the video but I should have said it verbally outright.

[@athos9293]

Yeah just like how bats are mammals and insects are arthropods

[@stephenking4170]

And evolutionary taxonomists are probably more related to dim witted chimps than to humans made in the image of God. Taxonomy of living things changes frequently enough. You can be sure that taxonomy of dead things will change even faster. Taxonomy and similarity of form is not evidence of common origin by evolutionary processes. Common design only implies common designer, not common ancestry.

[@lochlan9643]

Did you know why it was fairly easy to hunt the Moa? For generations their only natural predator was aerial (Hasst eagle) they developed a defense mechanism against them, they would stand really still to camouflage themselves against the ground, worked great for a aerial predator not so great when someone is running at you with a spear, simply didn't have enough time to evolve.

[@Jeff.jeff36]

I was fascinated of moa bird , elephant and dodo bird, imagine if there were still alive we can ride then

[@glenmcgillivray4707]

Interesting fact. The Haast Eagle was most closely related to the Australian Little Eagle one of their smaller birds of prey. The smaller Harrier, is a recent arrival from Australia, an earlier larger species going extinct shortly after Maori arrival. Meanwhile the New Zealand Falcon, the most vulnerable species of native predatory bird in New Zealand, is actually most closely related to South American cousins, how precisely they crossed the Pacific fascinates me.

[@Randy_Racc00n]

The Haast Eagle is my favorite bird on this island god i wish i could have seen one in action or even have been one. They are so COOL!!!

[@petertidey2677]

I bet Moa drum sticks on the BBQ would take a bit of cooking 😂

[@sazzanne]

I live in nz and I’ve held a moa bone that fell into a cave when it was running from one of the big hawks

[@GeekGamer666]

I think it might be helpful and provide clarity if next time you use endemic or non-endemic. There were no endemic land mammals. There are nine endemic species of moa. Also, I might have missed it but it might be interesting to include information about island gigantism/dwarfism. New Zealand is an example of island gigantism with regards to Haast's Eagle and the Moa. Also, I noticed you mentioned flightless birds but if you do a version of this type of video that's about currently living birds you should do the Kiwi, partly as it's our national bird, it's flightless, the eggs are exceptionally large in relation to their body size, but my favourite fact of all is that they have nostrils at the end of their really long beak to sniff out insects. Aotearoa/NZ actually has quite significant efforts in place to work to prevent the extinction of our native birds, including predator free islands and a predator free reserve on the mainland.

[@ZeroniteMc]

Bird documentary yippee

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

:D

[@alexortega5833]

Would’ve liked to see Heracles Inexpectadus, but still great video!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

Thanks. While Hercacles Inexpectadus wasn’t included as they went extinct way before the other birds in this list, I definitely should have mentioned them in hindsight as they’re just such an interesting parrot species.

[@Amaritudine]

I dropped into the comments expressly to mention "Squawkzilla"! Glad to see I've been beaten to it by other fans of the original Large Lad of New Zealand megafauna.

[@Based-BunnyGirl]

The mummified specimens of Moa would be fun to clone

[@Soxies_World]

NEW ZEALAND PEOPLE (NGA IWI O AOUTEAROA) 👇

[@Raskilion]

I've always thought that Moa meat must have been delicious if they were hunted into extinction

[@leeceyah]

Our morepork owls are so cute. Especially when you hear them calling then you hear humans calling back 'moooreporrrk' 😂 I wish we had squirrels though....

[@jancyvargheese5351]

Incredible and beautiful animals

[@V3lk0n]

If we bring the Haast Eagle back to life nowadays, he's gonna go from making dishes to being the dish made by you know who. Revenge must be served with time.

[@KonnorHermann]

As an avid birder and wildlife conservationist, I agree, birds are fricking awesome.

[@Soxies_World]

FUN FACT: it is illegal to hunt down nz’s native animals (e.g: kakapo, kiwi, kahu, etc.)

[@MarkTMC]

With the laughing owl, ive heard that call and never knew what it was, this was around 2018

[@loganmorton9304]

Very cool video thanks. We don’t have a weasel over here though. We have the stoat. Often confused with a weasel.

[@SqueakTheKittehxx]

We have weasels, stoats and ferrets

[@randyreigns1092]

There’s a lot cool birds still living here would you make a video about it?

[@madmacksaysFu]

NZer here , good vid .... best birds

[@CaineOs]

Cheers man.

[@abduking.]

terror birds are still the greatest birds of all time but i now like the moas too.

[@L3monsta]

It's the *KIWI* not the "Kiwibird" I know many people overseas are used to calling kiwifruit "kiwi" for short, but it is insulting to our national animal to replace it. That would be like saying "crocodile-lizard" to distinguish it from crocs (the shoes).

[@-ygb-voltage6244]

All of our pest were brought over from the Europeans and it’s cost us a lot, I’m hoping our kiwis make a come back last I checked they were doing okay ish

[@billybobying]

the reason many birds on NewZealand is because there were no predetors meaning they could nest on the ground saving energy and time they also were much heavier then most birds in other countries so it was very hard to nest in trees.

[@iveBENwatchin]

I wish we still had all these birds in NZ

[@SamuelMorris-hl2qb]

NZ gang❤❤❤❤ i liked my own comment because I’m from nz 👇

[@BlackReaper0]

I didn't know Moa's didnt have arms or wings, cool!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

I know it’s super weird and I didn’t know about that fact either until I started researching for this video.

[@mvb88]

I thought they wore like the kiwi. Little tiny wings. To small to gets it's body mass off the ground

[@ollypa7062]

Ironically the wingless Moas closest living relatives are the 46 species of Tinamou (the only ''ratites'' that can still fly).

[@ECGgroup]

Just a little correction: you don't need a S for a plural. Moa is both a singular and plural term. So the term moas is incorrect. You could say moa birds though. In te reo (Maori language) whether you're referring to one, two or many is determined by the words around the object, not the object word itself. For example if we're talking about a single moa bird we'd say "te moa" meaning the moa but if we're referring to multiple then it would be "nga moa", the moa multiple.

[@0inkcat0]

6:30 KAKAPO MENTIONED YAAAAYYAYAYAAAA I LOVE THIS THING EEAAAGAGAGAA

[@glennmorganfan9411]

OK, I use headphones while on the computer and that Moa call made my skull vibrate!!!

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

😭 ***Spooky***

[@mvb88]

I'm happy they're extent. I'm a hunter. Fuck going hunting in early morning and hearing that. Knowing they're 9ft and I'm 5"6

[@gj8683]

If you're ever feeling the least bit uncertain as to the meaning of "cool," remember: The prehistoric birds of New Zealand.

[@NicholsonNeisler-fz3gi]

We want more of the Moas

[@xanshen9011]

The Haast’s Eagle: The second coming of the Hatzegopteryx

[@bernardedwards8461]

Eagles, hawks and related raptors dont use their beaks as weapons, their weapons are their feet, and their beaks are only eating utensils. Falcons are an exception and do use beaks as weapons.

[@EliGamerXxYT]

Those who live in new Zealand 👇

[@Connor-j7l]

That would mean these enormous birds were plentiful when the Celtic Tangata Whenua were also plentiful here, in New Zealand... prior to the cannabilistic Polynesians arrival.

[@nzmoggy3898]

We do so to have native land mammals!!!! We have the long tailed bat and short tailed bat. Okay they are both very small, about 10g fully grown but fully worth representation as part of New Zealand's unique wildlife 🙂

[@GavinTheWildlifeGuy]

I briefly mentioned besides bats and pinnipeds (seals/ sea lions) there were no native mammals currently alive to New Zealand in the video. I personally just don’t consider either one of those mammals to be “land mammals” though I guess it’s up to your own interpretation to make that judgement.

[@CharcharodontoOfficial]

New Zealand was gonna have a new generation of birds revolving into dinosaurs till we came.

[@kittycuddler_4437]

11:56 A; That is still nightmare fuel to me And B; *IMA FIRIN MAH LAZER!!*