• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Range map
• Resources

Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A. and Fishpool, L.D.C. 2014. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 1: Non-passerines. Lynx Edicions BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
Trewick, S. A. 1996. Morphology and evolution of two Takahe: flightless rails of New Zealand. Journal of Zoology (London) 238: 221-237.

Red List criteria met

Critically Endangered	Endangered	Vulnerable
-	D	D1+2

Red List history

Year	Category	Criteria
2020	Endangered	D
2016	Endangered	D
2013	Endangered	D
2012	Endangered	D
2008	Endangered	D1
2006	Endangered
2004	Endangered
2000	Endangered
1996	Endangered
1994	Not Recognised
1988	Not Recognised

Migratory status	not a migrant	Forest dependency	medium
Land-mass type		Average mass	-

	Estimate	Data quality
Extent of Occurrence (breeding/resident)	570 km2	medium
Area of Occupancy (breeding/resident)	10 km2
Number of locations	1-2	-
Severely fragmented?	no	-

	Estimate	Data quality	Derivation	Year of estimate
Population size	50-249 mature individuals	good	estimated	2020
Population trend	increasing	good	estimated	-
Generation length	4.6 years	-	-	-
Number of subpopulations	1	-	-	-
Percentage of mature individuals in largest subpopulation	100%	-	-	-

Population justification: The species's total population is currently estimated to number 418 individuals with approximately 130 breeding pairs (Department of Conservation 2019). However, these numbers include those in 'sanctuaries', advocacy populations, sites subject to intensive management and a recently reintroduced subpopulation.
The population in the Murchison Mountains has grown to 180 individuals by 2019 (A. Digby in litt. 2019), following supplementation of at least 60 individuals since 2016 (Department of Conservation n.d.). Although breeding populations exist at Burwood Takahē Centre and at ten 'santuaries', these populations are subject to intensive management and are not considered to be self-sustaining (Department of Conservation n.d.). Therefore, they are not considered as wild individuals in this assessment. The new reintroduced subpopulation at Kahurangi National Park has not yet been established for five years and so it is also excluded from this assessment.
The population size is therefore placed here in the band 50-250 mature individuals.

Trend justification: The total population is thought to have been increasing by about 10% per year since 2015 (Department of Conservation 2019). However, this estimate includes individuals in 'sanctuaries', advocacy populations, sites subject to intensive management and a recently reintroduced subpopulation.
In 1948, the Murchison Mountains population numbered 250-300 birds (Heather and Robertson 1997). It declined to its lowest point in the 1970s and 1980s, with 120 individuals in 1981. A captive-rearing programme was initiated in 1985. Numbers initially increased slowly, then fluctuated between 100 and 160 birds for 20 years (Maxwell 2001). In 2007-2008, a mast-driven stoat "plague" event reduced this population by over 40% and it reached a low of 80 individuals by 2014 (Hegg et al., 2012). Since 2015, the population has been supplemented with around 60 released individuals (Department of Conservation, n.d.), and the population grew to 110 by 2016 (A. Digby in litt. 2016) and 180 by 2019 (A. Digby in litt. 2019).

Country/Territory	Presence	Origin	Resident	Breeding visitor	Non-breeding visitor	Passage migrant
New Zealand	extant	native	yes

Country/Territory	IBA Name

Habitat (level 1)	Habitat (level 2)	Importance	Occurrence
Artificial/Terrestrial	Pastureland	major	resident
Forest	Temperate	major	non-breeding
Grassland	Temperate	major	resident
Altitude	0 - 1200 m	Occasional altitudinal limits

Threat (level 1)	Threat (level 2)	Impact and Stresses
Biological resource use	Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals - Intentional use (species is the target)	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Past, Unlikely to Return		Majority (50-90%)		Slow, Significant Declines		Past Impact
		Stresses Species mortality
Climate change & severe weather	Storms & flooding	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Past, Likely to Return		Majority (50-90%)		Causing/Could cause fluctuations		Past Impact
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Cervus elaphus	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		No decline		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Ecosystem degradation, Competition
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases - Mustela erminea	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Majority (50-90%)		No decline		Low Impact: 5
		Stresses Species mortality
Invasive and other problematic species, genes & diseases	Problematic native species/diseases - Unspecified species	Timing		Scope		Severity		Impact
		Ongoing		Minority (<50%)		No decline		Low Impact: 4
		Stresses Species mortality

Purpose	Scale
Food - human	subsistence, national

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Species factsheet: South Island Takahe Porphyrio hochstetteri. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/south-island-takahe-porphyrio-hochstetteri on 15/01/2025.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2025) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 15/01/2025.