‘Predatory’ bird and ‘New Zealand’s largest reptile’ seen fighting in rare video
A wildlife ranger in New Zealand heard something in the undergrowth and found an unusual pair of native animals fighting. The “rare” video shows the “predatory” bird and the country’s “largest reptile” biting and chasing each other.
Nick Fisentzidis was working on Tiritiri Matangi Island when he “heard a rustling in the bush,” he said in a video shared May 15 on Instagram by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation. “There was a tuatara just out in the bush and one of the pair of takahē on the island were also just snooping around here.”
Tuatara are “rare” reptiles and “the last survivors of an order of reptiles that thrived in the age of the dinosaurs,” according to the conservation department. They are “New Zealand’s largest reptile,” measuring up to about 1.5 feet long and weighing just over 3 pounds.
Takahē are flightless birds also native to New Zealand. “Historically thought to be extinct twice, there are now just over 500 throughout the country,” the Department of Conservation said in a May 15 news release.
As Fisentzidis watched, the takahē bird “darted off into the bush and started chasing the tuatara down the hill,” he said in the video.
The video shows the fight. The bird is seen running after the tuatara and repeatedly trying to bite it. The reptile manages to wiggle away and almost seems to kick at the feathered foe.
“I saw them having a bit of a nip at each other; the takahē definitely had a go at the tail of the tuatara, and they had a bit of a scrap,” Fisentzidis said in the release. “I followed them down the hill, and the tuatara got a couple of bites in, so the takahē backed off and snuck back away up the forest.”
“Two of our most iconic threatened species, one unexpected encounter,” conservation officials said in the post.
Glen Greaves, a senior ranger specializing in takahē conservation, said the birds are omnivores, which “means they’ll eat almost anything.”
“Although primarily grass feeders, (takahē) will often supplement their diet with insects, lizards, and have even been spotted taking ducklings,” he said in the release. “Protein is obviously an important part of their diet.”
“Takahē can be quite predatory,” Greaves continued. “Although taking on a tuatara hasn’t been seen before that I’m aware of, it is not at all surprising. Just a bit bigger than their usual snack! It’s good to see the tuatara stand up for itself.”
“It’s a neat snapshot of how these interactions may have gone in the past,” Fisentzidis said in the release. “It also shows what’s possible in the future if we really start to rally together to bring more of our native wildlife back.”
Tiritiri Matangi Island is off the northern coast of New Zealand and roughly 20 miles northeast from Auckland.
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 1:42 PM with the headline "‘Predatory’ bird and ‘New Zealand’s largest reptile’ seen fighting in rare video."
