Piopio
Description
A piopio (South Island Thrush) (Turnagra capensis capensis) specimen mounted on a 'Y' shaped lichen covered branch.
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Object detail
Credit line
The
ancestors
of
the
piopio
or
New
Zealand
thrush
would
have
flown
here
from
Australia
millions
of
years
ago.
The
piopio
was
related
to
the
colourful
catbirds,
bowerbirds,
and
birds-of-paradise
of
Queensland
and
Papua
New
Guinea.
However,
it
did
not
share
the
gorgeous
feathers
of
its
northern
cousins.
At
the
time
of
Pākēha
settlement,
piopio
were
found
throughout
the
forests
of
New
Zealand,
including
Taranaki.
However,
by
the
turn
of
the
century,
they
were
almost
extinct.
Piopio
died
out
so
fast
that
few
specimens
can
even
be
found
in
museums
today.
The
last
known
sighting
of
a
North
Island
piopio
was
in
1902,
near
the
northern
Taranaki
town
of
Ohura.
It
was
shot.
Accession number
A64.988
Collection type
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