Saddleback

The or tieke a relative of the extinct huia has recovered from its rare and endangered status it is a notoriously fearless and noisy bird with a glossy black body and a chestnut saddle maori legend tells that the saddle was created when an angry maui fresh from the battle ensnare the sun seized the impudent bird with his fiery hand when refused a request for water s are larger than most forest birds at 25cm and 75 grams in weight they nest near the ground which makes them vulnerable mammalian predators such as rats the recovery of the considered one of new zealand's conservation success stories.