Takahē
The takahē, Notornis, or South Island takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) is a flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand and belonging to the rail family. It was thought to be extinct after the last four known specimens were taken in 1898. However, after a carefully planned search effort the bird was rediscovered by Geoffrey Orbell near Lake Te Anau in the Murchison Mountains, South Island, on 20 November 1948. The specific scientific name commemorates the Austrian geologist Ferdinand von Hochstetter.
Taxonomy and systematics
A related species, the North Island takahē (P. mantelli) or mōho is extinct and only known from skeletal remains. Both forms were long assumed to be subspecies of mantelli, and were usually placed in the genus Notornis. However, it has been determined that the differences between Porphyrio and Notornis were insufficient for separating the latter, whereas the differences between the North and South Island forms justified the splitting into two species, as each evolved independently towards flightlessness.
Ornithological Society of New Zealand
The Ornithological Society of New Zealand (OSNZ) was founded in 1940. It is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the study of birds and their habitats in the New Zealand region. It caters for a wide variety of people interested in the birds of the region, from professional ornithologists to casual birdwatchers. It publishes a peer-reviewed quarterly scientific journal, Notornis, as well as a quarterly news magazine, Southern Bird. It also organises membership-based scientific projects, such as the Atlas of Bird Distribution in New Zealand.
Aims
The aims of the OSNZ are to:
Podcasts:
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What The Storm Means
by: NihternnesThe moonlight dies on my coat
As I walk with hands in my pockets
Head down against the wind howling to break my spirit
The streetlamps put me in the spotlight
But there’s no audience, not today
The song melts away and words lose their meaning
And now I’m just wandering... looking for you
You see, I never figured out what the storm meant
That endless torrent of anger
I.. I took it so personally
But it wasn't me you hated
Ultimately, no
It was you, and I tried to tell you
The more negativity you spread in our world
The darker it becomes
And you know, the worst part of all of this
Is that there's no love in your life
Not for me, not for yourself, not for anyone
And what pains me more than even your absence
Is that... I don't know...
I'm not even sure if you can learn how
It takes a village to raise a child, you know
And it sounds harsh to me
But I think a part of yours is missing
I don't know if you're depressed or what
But the thing you never saw was
I was there to help you
You never saw that
You never realised that I wasn't your enemy
That pains me the most
We should never forfeit the good things in life because of the bad
I don't cry for myself, why would I?
I'm content with my lot I suppose but
Seeing you the way you are?
I can't handle that
Believe me I tried, how I tried
Everyone these days writes about broken dreams
Whether love is worth the pain
You know, sometimes the most valuable things