This bird is lucky to be alive. We, meaning humans, almost caused its specie’s extinction. This is the North Island Saddleback. The rust-colored patches on both sides of its back are the reason for the name. The red wattles just below its beak tell you the saddleback is part of the wattlebird family.
Before the arrival of humans, North Island saddlebacks were widespread on mainland North Island. But a combination of deforestation and introduced mammalian predators decimated these populations, and by the 1890's, the mainland population was eliminated. The remaining North Island saddlebacks were only found on Hen Island, a small island off the coast of Northland.
A translocation program began in 1964, moving saddlebacks to areas protected from predators. One such area is Tiritiri Matangi Island, where I took this photo. The last census for North Island saddlebacks estimated the population at about seven thousand.
The North Island saddleback has a nearly identical South Island sibling. But their ranges don’t overlap. The South Island saddleback was also almost wiped out by the introduction of rats that came to New Zealand as stowaways on ships. The translocation effort that began in 1964 on the North Island also took place on the South Island, and saved this species, as well.