Here are some paintings that illustrate some of the stories and facts of the Kereru.

 

 

Kereru don’t sing like a lot of our native birds, instead they make a soft “coo” sound.

In Maori mythology, Maui, the fabled trickster hero, turned himself into the first Kereru. He then joined a band and became famous. 

One of the most common injuries to kereru is when their crop bursts when they fly into sud filled mop buckets. Over 50% of the birds cared for each year have suffered an impact injury of some description. The most common of which is impact with a mop and bucket, window, closely followed by impact with a car.

The Kererū were often snared after feeding on the berries of the maire, uwha, houhou, miro, and mako trees. They would become thirsty and head for the nearest water.

Kereru can live for up to 20 years, so they aren’t in any hurry to have lots of chicks.

A berry eater, the Kereru can become extremely overweight, sometimes making flight a difficulty.

While most foods are taken while clambering about on vines, shrubs and trees, at a few locations kereru spend time on the ground chasing butterflys.

During the non-breeding season, kereru can be fairly inconspicuous, hoildaying with friends for sometimes days at a time.

During spring and early summer male kereru have to work hard to impress female kereru.