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Birds of New Zealand

Watch: Rediscovering the 'extinct' takahē in 1948

We've resurfaced colour footage not seen since the 1940s. One of New Zealand's greatest wildlife stories – the rediscovery of the 'extinct' takahē  in 1948, found alive in Fiordland.

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  • David Riley in the cold store holding one of the film archives
    Rediscovering Te Papa’s film archives

    Rediscovering Te Papa’s film archives

    David Riley, who works in our Digital Collections and Access team, is digitising 190 film reels – the content of which hasn’t been seen for 70 years. Find out what he’s found so far.

    Arts Te Papa

  • Notornis / Takahe, Dunedin 1895, 1949, by Sir Robert Falla, Augustus Hamilton. Te Papa (LS.003274)
    South Island takahē

    South Island takahē

    Learn about the largest living (flightless) species of rail in the world on New Zealand Birds Online with pictures, facts, and book excerpts.

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    Natural history books

    Natural history books