The kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), also called the New Zealand pigeon, is a large pigeon with iridescent plumage, known for its soft “coo” and the loud whoosh of its wings. Its origin, habitat, diet and breeding are described below, along with its reputation for clumsiness.
Origin of the Kererū New Zealand Pigeon
Some links on this page go to Amazon. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
The kererū is one of the most popular pigeons in New Zealand. It was first mentioned in John Latham’s book “A General Synopsis of Birds (opens in new tab)” in 1783.
Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it its scientific name and formal description in 1789.
It is placed in the genus Hemiphaga, from the Greek for “half” and “eater”.
- Family: Columbidae
- Subfamily: Ptilinopinae
- Genus: Hemiphaga
- Species: H. novaeseelandiae
- Common name: New Zealand pigeon
Kererū Appearance
| Wingspan | Length | Weight | Coloring | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kererū New Zealand Pigeon | Around 75cm | Around 50cm | 550 – 850g | Dark green, brown, white, and copper-sheened purple |
| Average Feral Pigeon | 64 – 72 cm | 32 – 37 cm | 300 – 500 g | Bluish grey with some black |
The kererū is much larger than your average pigeon.
It has a small head, a red bill, dark red feet and red eyes.
Both males and females have similar plumage.
The head, neck and upper breast are iridescent green with bronze tones, the back and wings show a purple and copper sheen, and the lower breast and belly are white.
The “coo” sounds of the kererū are extremely characteristic.
They also make a distinctive “whoosh” sound with their wings when flying.
In display flights, kererū climb steeply, stall and then swoop down.
Kererū Habitat
Historically, the kererū was found all over New Zealand.
Today it is missing from some areas because of habitat loss, past hunting and introduced predators such as rats, possums, stoats and cats.
It was also a major food source for the Māori people.
Kererū have been fully protected in New Zealand since the 1920s, and hunting them is illegal.
kererū live in parks, gardens, shrublands, lowland forests, and countrysides.
They generally live in one place their whole lives, although they can cover remarkable distances searching for food.
A study in 2011 (opens in new tab) showed that three kererū had traveled nearly 100 Kms from Invercargill and to Stewart Island, crossing the Foveaux Strait in the process.
Kererū Behavior
Kererū are large and easy to spot, but they spend much of the day sitting quietly.
They like to eat then rest under a canopy for several hours.
This changes entirely during the breeding season.
They start perching on high trees and the males start engaging in acrobatic flights to win over the females.
Kererū aren’t territorial.
However, they can become aggressive if other pigeons try to feed in the same food tree they’re eating from.
If a fight breaks out, a kererū will flap its wings to hit intruders, but nothing more.
Breeding New Zealand Pigeons
The kererū breeds throughout the year, but it generally lays eggs from September till April.
When there’s little to no food available, kererū will not breed until they find a source of food.
This explains why their population is easily destabilized when living conditions aren’t ideal.
The nest consists mainly of dead twigs.
Females lay a single egg and incubate it from the afternoon till the next morning.
The male takes over and sits on the egg for most of the day.
Chicks are typically brooded till they’re covered in feathers and about 10 days old.
The chicks start flying when they’re roughly 40 days old. Until then, they don’t leave their nests and wait for one of the parents to come and feed them.
Kererū Diet
Kererū are frugivorous, meaning they mainly eat fruits, although they also eat buds, flowers and leaves.
Some of the fruits kererū eat include pigeonwood, taraire, tawa, and karaka.
Since the moa and other large birds died out, the kererū is the only native bird left that can swallow large fruits such as taraire and karaka whole. This makes it an important seed disperser for these trees.
They sometimes eat fermented fruit, which can leave them unsteady, and some have fallen from trees. This has given them a reputation as clumsy, “drunk” birds (see the video below).
There are reports of affected kererū being taken to wildlife centres until they recover.
When their favorite fruits aren’t abundant, kererū may eat leaves like tree lucerne, poplar, elm, and willow. They also eat nitrogen-rich foliage, especially in the breeding season.
Their Relationship With Humans
The Māori people have historically hunted kererū for their feathers and meat.
They’re considered a huge part of their cultural identity.
Kererū were a valued food in winter, around the time of the Puanga and Matariki new year, because of how fat the pigeons are from feeding on fruit.
Fat birds in the fruiting season were also easier to catch.
In Māori culture, snaring is typically used to catch the unsuspecting pigeons.
Māori also used long bird spears to catch kererū.
Snaring is done by laying a trap suspended in a tree with snares next to a water trough.
The pigeon would land to drink to be captured by the snare.
Sometimes, tame kererū are placed in the trap to lure others to join.
When a kererū is caught, it’s preserved in a food container so it can sit in its own fat.
This method was widespread. In 1882 it was reported that over 8000 pigeons (opens in new tab) were caught and preserved using this method.
Conservation Of The Kererū
The IUCN Red List now lists the kererū as Least Concern (it was earlier listed as Near Threatened), and the New Zealand government’s own threat classification also considers it not threatened.
Kererū were once found in large numbers across New Zealand.
However, habitat loss, hunting, introduced predators and poor breeding success caused a long decline.
The introduced brushtail possum is one of the main causes of the decline.
Possums and rats love to prey on nestlings and eggs, while stoats and cats can easily kill an adult kererū.
As the population of kererū started to decline rapidly, the Wild Birds Protection Act in 1864 banned hunting the New Zealand pigeon outside of the hunting season.
In the early 1920s the kererū was made an “absolutely protected” species, which banned hunting at any time.
The Wildlife Act 1953 kept the kererū fully protected.
Today kererū numbers are stable or increasing in many parts of New Zealand.
Where they are still declining, the main cause is usually poor predator control.
Kererū often fly low across roads and into windows, and collisions with cars and glass are a common cause of injury.
Their size means that a collision can also damage a car or startle the driver.
Endorsements
The Kererū was voted 2018’s bird of the year (opens in new tab) after a nationwide poll clearly favored the New Zealand pigeon.
With more than 48,000 votes cast, the Kererū got 5,833 votes, triumphing over the Kākāpō, with 3,772 votes, and the Kakī, with 2995 votes.
Celebrities backed other birds (Stephen Fry the kākāpō and Bill Bailey the takahē), and the prime minister Jacinda Ardern, who had backed the tāiko, congratulated the kererū campaign:
I salute you, @Kereru4PM (opens in new tab) #BirdOfTheYear (opens in new tab)
— Jacinda Ardern (@jacindaardern) October 14, 2018 (opens in new tab)
Some birds have won more than once (the kākāpō won in 2008 and 2020), and fans of the kererū have campaigned online for it to win again.
As a publicity stunt, another contender, the kakī (black stilt), had a Tinder profile (opens in new tab) that reportedly got hundreds of matches.
In Conclusion
Several pigeons look similar to the kererū, but few have such an interesting history.
If you want to support the kererū, look out for the next Bird of the Year poll run by Forest & Bird.
If you’re in New Zealand, look out for kererū in parks, gardens and native forest.
Last updated 31 October 2026 · Types