Quite often I get asked about the adzebill. Did this bird really REALLY exist?
Oh yes – I say – I’ve seen the bones of one in the Invercargill Museum.
So, this January I went for a hunt in their Natural History section. As you can see in the photo, it isn’t all the bones, but enough to put together a model.
The label Aptornis, refers to its Latin name. I’ve added Morgan’s illustration below for a fleshed-out comparison.
Adzebill were as large as a small moa, flightless, with a massive down-curved bill.
In Cloak of Protection they are both extinct and predator. They were hunted by: kiore; dog; & the human hunter.
In turn they hunted: tara-iti (fairy tern); tara (white-fronted tern); hoiho (yellow-eyed penguin); tutikiwi (snipe); kiwi; & whio (blue duck).