They are found in New Zealand.
They live on mountain lakes with plenty of plant life around them for nesting materials and places to hide from bad storms.
They have a long, thin bill for catching fish. Their cheeks are reddish-brown with a black border. They have a black head crest and a long, thin neck. Their legs are set far back on their bodies so they are great swimmers and divers, but cannot walk well. So they rarely come onto land.
Pairs mate for the whole season. They have a fancy mating dance where they fluff up their feathers, chatter to each other and rise out of the water chest to chest. They are killed by birds of prey (raptors), and introduced animals like cats and weasels (stouts).
They eat small fish, insects and water plants.
They build nests that float out in the water away from land and predators. They anchor the nests into underwater plants at the bottom. Females lay 1- 7 eggs. Both males and females take turns warming (incubating) the eggs. Chicks sometimes ride on parents’ back.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vetebrata
Class: Aves
Order: Ciconiiformes
Family: Ardeidae
Genus: Botaurus
Species: B. poiciloptilis
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