kererū

English ornithologist John Latham wrote about the kererū in his A General Synopsis of Birds in 1783 but did not give it a scientific name.{{cite book |last1=Latham |first1=John |title=General Synopsis of Birds |date=1783 |publisher=Benj. White |location=London, England |volume=2 |page=640 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33730728 |access-date=21 September 2021 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921043810/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/33730728 |url-status=live }} German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin gave it its first formal description in 1789, placing it in genus Columba as C. novaeseelandiae,{{Cite book|last=Gmelin|first=Johann Friedrich|url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656268|title=Systema naturae per regna tria naturae : secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis.|publisher=Impensis Georg Emanuel Beer|year=1789|volume=1|issue=2|location=Leipzig, Germany|language=Latin|page=773|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921042625/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2656268|url-status=live}} with Latham naming it Columba zealandica in his 1790 Index Ornithologicus.{{cite book |last1=Latham |first1=John |title=Index ornithologicus |date=1790 |volume=2 |publisher=Leigh & Sotheby |location=London, England |page=603 |url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53510028 |access-date=21 September 2021 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921114606/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53510028 |url-status=live }} The genus Hemiphaga was introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854 with the kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) as the type species for that genus.{{cite journal | last=Bonaparte | first=Charles Lucien | author-link=Charles Lucien Bonaparte | year=1854 | title=Coup d'oeil sur les pigeons (deuxième partie) | language=French | journal=Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de l'Académie des Sciences | volume=39 | pages=1072–1078 [1076–1077] | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2820257 | access-date=15 October 2021 | archive-date=21 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021100500/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2820257 | url-status=live }} The name combines the Ancient Greek {{transliteration|grc|hēmi}} meaning "half-" or "small", with the end of the genus name Carpophaga, "fruit eating", as Bonaparte saw the genus as related to both that genus and Megaloprepia (now incorporated into Ptilinopus).{{cite book | title = Australian Bird Names: A Complete Guide | first1 = Jeannie | last1 = Gray | first2 = Ian | last2 = Fraser | year = 2013 | location = Collingwood, Australia | publisher = CSIRO Publishing | page = 23 | isbn = 9780643104709 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=W1TCqHVWQp0C&q=fraser+bird+names | access-date = 23 October 2021 | archive-date = 19 February 2022 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220219204331/https://www.google.com.au/books/edition/Australian_Bird_Names/W1TCqHVWQp0C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=fraser+bird+names&printsec=frontcover | url-status = live }}

File:Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae spadicea.png (H. n. spadicea), lithograph by John Gerrard Keulemans (1907), based on a preserved specimen in the Natural History Museum at Tring|alt=painting of a white and coloured pigeon]]

Two subspecies are recognised: H. n. novaseelandiae, which is found throughout New Zealand, and the little-studied Norfolk pigeon (H. n. spadicea) of Norfolk Island, now extinct. The subspecies differed in their plumage colour and shape.{{cite book | editor1-last = Higgins | editor1-first = P. J. | editor2 = Davies, S. J. J. F. | title = Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds: Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons | year = 1996 | pages = 1016–1025 | url = https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/files/276_New%20Zealand%20Pigeon.pdf | publisher = Oxford University Press | location = Melbourne, Victoria | isbn = 978-0-19-553070-4 | access-date = 16 October 2021 | archive-date = 29 October 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211029110321/https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/files/276_New%20Zealand%20Pigeon.pdf | url-status = live }} In 2001, it was proposed that a third subspecies — H. n. chathamensis or the Chatham Islands pigeon — should be raised to full species status as H. chathamensis on the basis of its distinct plumage, larger size and differing bone structure.{{Cite journal|last1=Millener|first1=P. R.|last2=Powlesland|first2=R. G.|date=2001|title=The Chatham Islands pigeon (Parea) deserves full species status; Hemiphaga chathamensis (Rothschild 1891); Aves: Columbidae|journal=Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand|language=en|volume=31|issue=2|pages=365–383|doi=10.1080/03014223.2001.9517659|issn=0303-6758|doi-access=free}} This has since been widely accepted.{{Cite web|date=December 2009|title=Updates & Corrections – Clements Checklist|url=https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/updateindex/dec09overview/dec09/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516010012/https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/updateindex/dec09overview/dec09/|archive-date=16 May 2021|access-date=23 January 2020|website=Cornell Lab of Ornithology | publisher=Cornell University}}{{Cite web|date=16 January 2008|title=SPECIES UPDATES – Version 1.5|url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/updates/archives/species-v1/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516010012/https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/updateindex/dec09overview/dec09/|archive-date=16 May 2021|access-date=23 January 2020|website= World Bird List |publisher=International Ornithologists' Union }} Analysis of mitochondrial DNA confirmed the kererū and Norfolk pigeons to be more closely related to each other than to the Chatham pigeon, and that dispersal between the three landmasses most likely occurred during the Pleistocene Epoch.{{cite journal |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2699.2010.02414.x|title=Population structure and biogeography of Hemiphaga pigeons (Aves: Columbidae) on islands in the New Zealand region|year=2011|last1=Goldberg|first1=Julia|last2=Trewick|first2=Steven A.|last3=Powlesland|first3=Ralph G.|journal=Journal of Biogeography|volume=38|issue=2|pages=285–298|s2cid=55640412 }}

The kererū belongs to the family Columbidae, and the subfamily Ptilinopinae, which is found throughout Southeast Asia, Malaya, Australia and New Zealand. The members of this subfamily feed largely on fruits, mainly stone fruit. Within the subfamily, the kererū and Chatham Islands pigeon are in a clade with a lineage that has given rise to the topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus) of Australia and the mountain pigeons (Gymnophaps) of New Guinea, as shown in the cladogram below.{{cite journal |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.04.016|title=Two aspects along the continuum of pigeon evolution: A South-Pacific radiation and the relationship of pigeons within Neoaves|year=2010|last1=Gibb|first1=Gillian C.|last2=Penny|first2=David|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=56|issue=2|pages=698–706|pmid=20399870}}

{{clade

|1={{clade

|1={{clade

|1= kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)

|2= Chatham Islands pigeon (Hemiphaga chathamensis)

}}

|2={{clade

|1=topknot pigeon (Lopholaimus antarcticus)

|2=Papuan mountain pigeon (Gymnophaps albertisii)

}}

}}

}}

"New Zealand pigeon" has been designated the official common name of the kererū by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOU).{{cite web |editor1-last=Gill |editor1-first=Frank |editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) |editor2-last=Donsker |editor2-first=David |year=2021 |title=Pigeons |work=World Bird List Version 11.2 |url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/pigeons/ |publisher=International Ornithologists' Union |access-date=14 September 2021 |archive-date=19 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019050813/https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/pigeons/ |url-status=live }} The word kererū (which is both singular and plural) is the most common Māori name, and a variety of mainstream sources now use the name kererū for the species.{{Cite book|last=Ward|first=Janelle|title=Rehabilitation guide for Kererū|date=2019| publisher=Department of Conservation|isbn=978-0-473-50912-5|location=Wellington, New Zealand|oclc=1195888312}}{{Cite web|title=Help us save the kererū|url=https://www.wwf.org.nz/what_we_do/species/help_kereru/|access-date=28 September 2021|publisher=World Wide Fund for Nature (New Zealand)|archive-date=28 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928200825/https://www.wwf.org.nz/what_we_do/species/help_kereru/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|date=17 September 2019|title=Public asked to help with Great Kererū Count|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/115847272/annual-count-of-kerer-in-wellington-finds-no-kerer-at-all|access-date=28 September 2021|website=Stuff |language=en|archive-date=28 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928205107/https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/115847272/annual-count-of-kerer-in-wellington-finds-no-kerer-at-all|url-status=live}} Spelling Māori loanwords with macrons — that indicate a long vowel — is now common in New Zealand English where technically possible.{{Cite web|last=Crewdson|first=Patrick|date=10 September 2017|title=Why Stuff is introducing macrons for te reo Māori words|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/96578644/why-stuff-is-introducing-macrons-for-te-reo-maori-words|url-status=live|access-date=17 August 2021|website=Stuff |language=en|archive-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817014801/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/96578644/why-stuff-is-introducing-macrons-for-te-reo-maori-words}}{{Cite web|last=Nicholls|first=Jenny|date=23 April 2021|title=These grumpy old pūkeko need to get off the grass|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/te-reo-maori/124917871/these-grumpy-old-pkeko-need-to-get-off-the-grass|url-status=live|access-date=17 August 2021|website=Stuff |language=en|archive-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817014802/https://www.stuff.co.nz/pou-tiaki/te-reo-maori/124917871/these-grumpy-old-pkeko-need-to-get-off-the-grass}} It is also known as kūkupa and kūkū in some parts of North Island, particularly in Northland,{{Cite web|title=New Zealand pigeon / kererū / kūkū / kūkupa|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/nz-pigeon-kereru/|access-date=3 July 2021|publisher=Department of Conservation, Government of New Zealand|language=en-nz|archive-date=9 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183208/https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/birds-a-z/nz-pigeon-kereru/|url-status=live}} and Latham had reported the name "Hagarrèroo" in 1783. Kererū have also been called "wood pigeons".{{Cite news|last1=Mills|first1=Laura|last2=Bayer|first2=Kurt|date=22 February 2013|title=Drunk kereru fall from trees|work=New Zealand Herald|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/drunk-kereru-fall-from-trees/PLJ7VXPXRSRDVFENWEDBCHA4TU/|url-status=live|access-date=3 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201065359/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/drunk-kereru-fall-from-trees/PLJ7VXPXRSRDVFENWEDBCHA4TU/|archive-date=1 December 2020}}

File:Kereru chick (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) by Department of Conservation.jpg

The kererū is a large arboreal pigeon weighing {{convert|550|–|850|g|abbr=on}},{{cite journal | last=Clout | first= M. N. | year=1990 | title= The kereru and its forests | journal=Birds International | volume= 2| issue=4| pages= 10–19}} and is up to {{convert|50|cm|in|abbr=on}} in length, with a wingspan of around {{convert|75|cm|in|abbr=on}}. Its appearance is that of a typical pigeon, in that it has a relatively small head, a straight soft-based bill and loosely attached feathers. The sexes have similar plumage. The head, neck and upper breast are dark green with a gold-bronze highlights, while the nape, upper back and secondary coverts are a copper-sheened purple, lightening to a more grey-green on the lower back, rump and the rest of upper surface of the wings. The tail is dark brown with green highlights and a pale edge. The breast is white, and sharply demarcated from the darker parts of its plumage. The undertail and underwing coverts are mainly pale grey. The bill is red with an orange tip, the feet dark red, and eyes are red with a pink orbital ring. Juveniles have a similar colouration but are generally paler with dull colours for the beak, eyes and feet and a shorter tail.{{Cite book|last1=Robertson|first1=Hugh A.|title=The Hand Guide to the Birds of New Zealand|last2=Heather|first2=Barrie D.|publisher=Penguin Random House New Zealand|others=Derek J. Onley|year=2017|isbn=978-0-14-357093-6|edition=3rd|location=Auckland, New Zealand |page=146|oclc=917304045}} The extinct Norfolk Island subspecies had a chestnut mantle, more grey outer wings and rump, a dark purple tail and white under wing and undertail coverts.

Kererū make occasional soft coo sounds, and their wings make a characteristic "whoosh" during flight.{{cite book| title=New Zealand Birds in Focus| first=Geoff|last=Moon| publisher=Weldon New Zealand| location=Auckland, New Zealand | isbn= 978-0-86866-120-9| year=1988|pages=71–72}} The bird's flight is also distinctive; birds will often ascend slowly before making steep parabolic dives.

File:Kereru territorial dispute.jpg

Usually they are found from Northland to Stewart Island / Rakiura and offshore islands, the kererū was historically abundant throughout the country. Its lack of genetic diversity suggests the species retreated to forest refugia during periods of Quaternary glaciation and rapidly spread across the country again when the climate grew warmer. Kererū bones have been recovered from Raoul Island in the Kermadecs, confirming the species once inhabited the island, though it was made locally extinct through hunting and cat predation in the late 1800s.{{Cite journal|last1=Worthy|first1=T. H.|last2=Brassey|first2=R.|date=2000|title=New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) on Raoul Island, Kermadec Group|url=https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_47_1_36.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Notornis|volume=47|issue=1|pages=36–38|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216153219/http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_47_1_36.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2019}} They can be found in a variety of habitats including in native lowland forest, scrub, the countryside, and city gardens and parks.{{cite news |title=Kererū begin winter wandering |url=https://ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/newsline/show/1677 |access-date=3 August 2018 |agency=Christchurch City Council |date=16 May 2017 |archive-date=3 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803104509/https://ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/newsline/show/1677 |url-status=live }}

The kererū lives in habitats ranging in altitude from coastal to montane.{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=M. N.|last2=Gaze|first2=P. D.|last3=Hay|first3=J. R.|last4=Karl|first4=B. J.|date=1986|title=Habitat use and spring movements of New Zealand pigeons at Lake Rotoroa, Nelson Lakes National Park|url=https://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_33_1.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Notornis|volume=33|pages=37–44|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210218215448/https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_33_1.pdf|archive-date=18 February 2021}} However their numbers declined significantly after European colonisation. This was due mainly to a decrease in habitat, introduced predators and hunting. Currently, whether kererū are present at a particular location within New Zealand is dependent on numerous factors such as forest cover, forest type and density of predators.{{Cite Q|Q107407131|author1=Carpenter, Joanna K.|author2=Walker, Susan|author3=Monks, Adrian|author4=Innes, John|author5=Binny, Rachelle N.|author6=Schlesselmann, Ann-Kathrin V.}} Although sedentary, kererū can move considerable distances within their range; most fieldwork showed them moving up to {{convert|25|km|mi|abbr=on}}, generally looking for food. A 2011 study in Southland revealed that three of four kererū tagged around Invercargill crossed the Foveaux Strait to Stewart Island, and travelled up to {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}}.{{cite journal |last1=Powlesland |first1=Ralph G. |last2=Moran |first2=Less R. |last3=Wotton |first3=Debra M. |title=Satellite tracking of Kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) in Southland, New Zealand: impacts, movements and home range |journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology |date=2011 |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=229–235|jstor=24060733}}

File:New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) on nikau (Rhopalostylis sapida) Waitakere.jpg|alt=A kererū feeding on fruit of a nikau palm]]

The kererū is primarily frugivorous, preferring fruit from native trees, but also eating leaves, flowers and buds.{{Cite web|last=Powlesland|first=Ralph|date=2017|title=New Zealand pigeon|url=http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/new-zealand-pigeon|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210628232724/http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/species/new-zealand-pigeon|archive-date=28 June 2021|access-date=24 January 2020|website=New Zealand Birds Online}}{{Cite journal|last1=Campbell|first1=Kirsten L.|last2=Schotborgh|first2=H. Maaike|last3=Wilson|first3=Kerry-Jayne|last4=Ogilvie|first4=Shaun C.|date=2008|title=Diet of kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) in a rural-urban landscape, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand|url=https://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_55_4_173.pdf|journal=Notornis|volume=55|pages=173–183|access-date=28 September 2021|archive-date=28 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928193908/https://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_55_4_173.pdf|url-status=live}} The kererū feeds on many species with tropical affinities, including the Lauraceae and Arecaceae,{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=M. N.|last2=Hay|first2=J. R.|date=1989|title=The importance of birds as browsers, pollinators and seed dispersers in New Zealand forests|url=https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1857.pdf|url-status=live|journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=12(s)|pages=27–33|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305165536/https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1857.pdf|archive-date=5 March 2021}}{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=M. N.|last2=Karl|first2=B. J.|last3=Gaze|first3=P. D.|date=1991|title=Seasonal movements of New Zealand pigeons from a lowland forest reserve|url=https://www.notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_38_1_37.pdf|url-status=live|journal=Notornis|volume=38|pages=37–47|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190216153236/http://notornis.osnz.org.nz/system/files/Notornis_38_1_37.pdf|archive-date=16 February 2019}}{{Cite journal|last=McEwen|first=W. Mary|date=1978|title=The food of the New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)|url=https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1415.pdf|url-status=live|journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=1|pages=99–108|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307144602/https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1415.pdf|archive-date=7 March 2021}} which abound in the essentially subtropical forests of northern New Zealand. They also feed on podocarp species such as miro (Prumnopitys ferruginea) and kahikatea (Dacrycarpus dacrydioides).{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=M. N.|last2=Tilley|first2=J. A. V.|date=January 1992|title=Germination of miro ( Prumnopitys ferruginea ) seeds after consumption by New Zealand pigeons ( Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)|url=http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0028825X.1992.10412882|journal=New Zealand Journal of Botany|language=en|volume=30|issue=1|pages=25–28|doi=10.1080/0028825X.1992.10412882|issn=0028-825X|access-date=3 July 2021|archive-date=25 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525175330/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0028825X.1992.10412882|url-status=live}} Other fruit sought after by kererū include those of tawa (Beilschmiedia tawa), taraire (Beilschmiedia tarairi), pūriri (Vitex lucens), pigeonwood (Hedycarya arborea), as well as tītoki (Alectryon excelsus), nīkau (Rhopalostylis sapida), karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus), Coprosma, and introduced species such as elder (Sambucus nigra), privet (Ligustrum species) and plums.{{cite book |last1=Heather |first1=Barrie D. |last2=Robertson |first2=Hugh A. |title=The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand |date=2005 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=Auckland, New Zealand |isbn=978-0-14-302040-0 |pages=348–350 |url=https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/files/HEMNOV_FG.pdf |access-date=18 October 2021 |archive-date=20 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820060337/https://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/sites/all/files/HEMNOV_FG.pdf |url-status=dead }} Because of its diverse diet and widespread distribution, the kererū plays an important ecological role, and is vital to the health of podocarp-broadleaf forest.{{cite journal| last1=Carpenter| first1= J.| last2=Kelly |first2=D.| last3=Clout| first3=M.| last4=Karl| first4=B.| last5=Ladley|first5=J.| year=2017|title=Trends in the detections of a large frugivore (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) and fleshy-fruited seed dispersal over three decades| journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=41|issue=1|pages=41–46|publisher=New Zealand Ecological Society| doi=10.20417/nzjecol.41.17| jstor=26198781| doi-access=free}}{{Cite journal|last1=Mander|first1=Christine|last2=Hay|first2=Rod|last3=Powlesland|first3=Ralph|date=1998 |title=Monitoring and management of kereru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/docts15.pdf|journal=Department of Conservation Technical Series|volume=15|pages=1–40|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803133817/https://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/science-and-technical/docts15.pdf|archive-date=3 August 2018}}

While fruit comprises the major part of its diet, the kererū also browses on leaves and buds from a wide variety of both native and exotic species, especially nitrogen-rich foliage during breeding.{{Cite journal|last1=Emeny|first1=Myfanwy T.|last2=Powlesland|first2=Ralph G.|last3=Henderson|first3=Ian M.|last4=Fordham|first4=Robin A.|date=2009|title=Feeding ecology of kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) in podocarp–hardwood forest, Whirinaki Forest Park, New Zealand|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/24060614|journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=33|issue=2|pages=114–124|jstor=24060614|access-date=3 July 2021|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923161052/https://www.jstor.org/stable/24060614|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|date=17 September 2020|title=Counting kererū helps answer questions about unique NZ bird|work=Waikato Herald|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/counting-kereru-helps-answer-questions-about-unique-nz-bird/B25CQXEJPT2KX6LZAMQLYDEO2E/|access-date=4 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211003235456/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/waikato-news/news/counting-kereru-helps-answer-questions-about-unique-nz-bird/B25CQXEJPT2KX6LZAMQLYDEO2E/|archive-date=3 October 2021}} Its diet changes seasonally as the availability of fruit changes, and leaves can comprise most of its diet at certain times of the year.{{Cite journal|last1=O'Donnell|first1=Colin F. J.|last2=Dilks|first2=Peter J.|date=1994|title=Foods and foraging of forest birds in temperate rainforest, South Westland, New Zealand|url=https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1953.pdf|journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=18|issue=2|pages=87–107|access-date=3 July 2021|archive-date=30 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210930035222/https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1953.pdf|url-status=live}} Preferred leaves include kōwhai, tree lucerne, willow, elm, and poplar.

After eating, kererū often sun themselves while digesting their food. This behaviour can lead to the fruit fermenting in the bird's crop, particularly during warm summer weather, producing alcohol that causes the bird to become intoxicated. The kererū displays typical pigeon behaviour, including drinking by suction (unlike many birds which drink by raising their heads, using the assistance of gravity).{{Cite journal | last=Zweers | first=G. A. | date=1982 | title=Drinking of the pigeon (Columba livia L.) | journal=Behaviour | jstor=4534190 | volume=80 | issue=3/4 | pages=274–317| doi=10.1163/156853982X00391 }} Kererū also feed crop milk to hatchlings.{{Cite book|last1=Falla|first1=R. A.|title=The New Guide to the Birds of New Zealand and Outlying Islands|last2=Sibson|first2=R. B.|last3=Turbott|first3=E. G.|publisher=Collins|year=1979|isbn=978-0-00-216928-8|location=Auckland, New Zealand |oclc=6061643}}

File:Kereru courtship display.webm

The kererū is monogamous; pairs are thought to reproduce together over multiple seasons, and remain together when not breeding. Breeding generally depends on the availability of ripe fruit, which varies seasonally, annually, and by location. In the warmer Northland region, kererū are able to raise young year round, provided enough fruit is available. They do not breed when moulting, which tends to take place between March and May. Further south, fewer subtropical tree species grow, and in these areas breeding usually occurs between October (early spring) and April (late summer/early autumn), again depending on fruit availability. During the breeding season the male kererū performs display flights, where it ascends steeply and appears to stall at the top of the flight, before a steep swooping descent. The courtship display includes the male turning around on a perch adjacent to a female, placing the tip of the bill into a wing, and stretching out his neck while bowing his head. He then bounces up and down with his bill resting on his chest, and proceeds to mate with her if she is receptive,{{cite journal| publisher=Ornithological Society of New Zealand| title=NZ Pigeon – courtship to laying| volume=66| pages=1–2|date=March 1993|journal=OSNZ News| first=Don|last=Hadden}} which she indicates by lowering her body so he can mount her.

The kererū nests in the canopy of trees, bushes, shrubs, or hedges, anywhere from {{convert|1.8|to|9.1|m|ft|abbr=on}} above the ground. Both birds construct the unlined platform of twigs—mostly kānuka (Kunzea ericoides), which can be up to {{convert|30|cm|in|abbr=on}} across. The clutch consists of a single oval white egg, which is 49 mm long by 34 mm wide. It is incubated for 28–29 days, with the male and female taking turns to incubate in shifts of around six hours. Fieldwork in Motatau Forest in Northland found that both parents then brooded the chick for 9–13 days, followed by the female alone. After 13–27 days, parents fed the chick without brooding. Weight gain is rapid in the first 8 days, while feathers appear between 5th and 8th days.{{cite journal |last1=Thorsen |first1=Michael James |last2=Nugent |first2=Graham |last3=Innes |first3=John |last4=Prime |first4=Kevin |title=Parental care and growth rates of New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) nestlings |journal=Notornis |date=2004 |volume=51 |pages=136–140}} The young bird fledges after 30–45 days.{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=M. N.|last2=Denyer|first2=K.|last3=James|first3=R. E.|last4=Mcfadden|first4=I. G.|date=1995|title=Breeding success of New Zealand pigeons (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) in relation to control of introduced mammals|url=https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1980.pdf|journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=19|issue=2|pages=209–212|access-date=3 July 2021|archive-date=3 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303202658/https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/1980.pdf|url-status=live}} A pair may begin building a second nest before their chick in the first nest fledges. In seasons of plentiful fruit the kererū can successfully nest up to four times. Kererū have a lifespan of 15 to 25 years; in 2020, a 29-year-old bird nicknamed "Pidge" turned up in Rotorua after not being seen for 24 years.{{cite news |last1=Graham-McLay |first1=Charlotte |title=Rehoming pigeon: kererū returns to hatchery 24 years after flying the coop |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/28/rehoming-pigeon-kereru-returns-to-hatchery-24-years-after-flying-the-coop |access-date=17 October 2021 |work=Guardian Online |date=28 September 2020 |archive-date=17 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017082249/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/28/rehoming-pigeon-kereru-returns-to-hatchery-24-years-after-flying-the-coop |url-status=live }}

File:New Zealand road sign W18-3.10.svg

Kererū were numerous until the 1960s, but they have since come under threat from introduced mammalian species, hunting, habitat degradation, and poor reproductive success.{{cite book|last=Best|first=Elsdon|author-link=Elsdon Best|orig-date=1942|url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/name-427176.html|title=Forest lore of the Maori|date=1977|publisher=E.C. Keating|location=Wellington, New Zealand|page=229|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612012730/http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/name-427176.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=M. N.|last2=Karl|first2=B. J.|last3=Pierce|first3=R. J.|last4=Robertson|first4=H. A.|date=1995|title=Breeding and survival of New Zealand Pigeons Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae | journal=Ibis |volume=137 |issue=2| pages=264–271 | doi=10.1111/j.1474-919X.1995.tb03248.x }}{{Cite journal|last1=Clout|first1=Michael N.|last2=Saunders|first2=Alan J.|date=1995|title=Conservation and ecological restoration in New Zealand|journal=Pacific Conservation Biology|language=en|volume=2|issue=1|pages=91|doi=10.1071/PC950091 }} The introduced Australian common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and introduced species of rats—mainly the black rat (Rattus rattus), but also the Polynesian rat (R. exulans) and brown rat (R. norvegicus)—have played a role in reducing the population of kererū. Both possums and rats significantly reduce the amount of fruit available for kererū, and they also prey on kererū eggs and nestlings; cats and stoats kill adults as well as young.{{Cite journal|last1=James|first1=R. E.|last2=Clout|first2=M. N.|date=1996|title=Nesting success of the New Zealand pigeons (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae) in response to a rat (Rattus rattus) poisoning programme at Wenderholm Regional Park |journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology|volume=20|issue=1|pages=45–51 | jstor=24053733}} On Norfolk Island, the local subspecies was last seen in 1900; direct hunting by people was probably the main cause of extinction.{{cite web | url = http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/action/birds2000/pubs/nz-pigeon.pdf | work = The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2000 | author1 = Stephen T. Garnett | author2 = Gabriel M. Crowley | name-list-style = amp | publisher = Environment Australia | date = 2000 | access-date = 8 December 2008 | title = New Zealand Pigeon (Norfolk Island) | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110521012227/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/publications/action/birds2000/pubs/nz-pigeon.pdf | archive-date = 21 May 2011}}

The Wild Birds Protection Act 1864 established hunting season for the species from April to July.{{cite web |title=28 Victoriae 1864 No 11 The Wild Birds' Protection Act 1864 (28 Victoriae 1864 No 11) |url=http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/twbpa186428v1864n11387/ |website=New Zealand Acts As Enacted |publisher=NZLII |access-date=11 October 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920122726/http://www.nzlii.org/nz/legis/hist_act/twbpa186428v1864n11387/ |url-status=live }} With kererū populations declining across the country, harvests became increasingly restricted by the government.{{cite journal|last=Gibbs|first=M.|date=2003|title=Indigenous rights to natural resources in Australia and New Zealand: Kereru, dugong and pounamu|journal=Australasian Journal of Environmental Management|volume=10|issue=3|pages=138–151|doi=10.1080/14486563.2003.10648585|s2cid=153431463}} This culminated in the Animals Protection and Game Act 1921–1922, which designated the kererū as an absolutely protected species, although the enforcement against hunting was not consistent.{{cite journal|last=Miskelly|first=C. M.|date=2014|title=Legal protection of New Zealand's indigenous terrestrial fauna – an historical review|url=https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/tuhinga.25.2014.pt3_.p25-101.miskelly_1.pdf|journal=Tuhinga|volume=25|pages=25–101|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-date=19 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219043840/https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/sites/default/files/tuhinga.25.2014.pt3_.p25-101.miskelly_1.pdf|url-status=live}} This act was repealed and replaced by the Wildlife Act 1953, which reaffirmed the status of kererū as a protected species and outlawed any taking of the birds. Prosecutions have been taken enforcing this law. Māori have protested at each of these law changes, claiming a traditional right to hunt the pigeon.{{cite book | last=Feldman | first= James W. | year=2001 | isbn=978-0-908810-55-0 | chapter=3:Enforcement, 1922–60 | title=Treaty Rights and Pigeon Poaching: Alienation of Maori Access to Kereru, 1864–1960 | publisher = Waitangi Tribunal | location=Wellington, New Zealand |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070621084456/http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/doclibrary/public/wai262/pigeon_poaching/Chapt03.pdf |archive-date=21 June 2007 | url=http://www.waitangi-tribunal.govt.nz/doclibrary/public/wai262/pigeon_poaching/Chapt03.pdf}}

Kererū are also vulnerable to injury or death as a result of collisions with vehicles. A large number of kererū fatalities have been reported alongside State Highway 2 in Wellington, as a result of low-flying birds being struck by vehicles as they fly across the motorway to feed on the flowers of tree lucerne.{{cite news|last=Heron|first=Mei|date=12 May 2018|title=The injuries are horrific – Kereru dying in big numbers on Wellington highway|work=TVNZ|url=https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/injuries-horrific-kereru-dying-in-big-numbers-wellington-highway|access-date=17 August 2021|archive-date=17 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817041326/https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/injuries-horrific-kereru-dying-in-big-numbers-wellington-highway|url-status=live}} Kererū can also be injured or killed following collisions with the windows of buildings.{{cite news|last=Harwood|first=Brenda|date=21 April 2019|title=Young kereru hitting the skies – and windows|work=Otago Daily Times |url=https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/young-kereru-hitting-skies-and-windows|url-status=live|access-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630091149/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/young-kereru-hitting-skies-and-windows|archive-date=30 June 2021}} In 2021, the Urban Wildlife Trust commenced a campaign to help protect kererū and other birds from colliding with the large glazed areas surrounding the upper terminal building of the Wellington Cable Car, adjacent to Wellington Botanic Gardens. The proposed solution was the installation of a grid of dots permanently fixed to approximately {{convert|150|m2|ft2|abbr=on}} of glass.{{cite news|last=Green|first=Kate|date=2 June 2021|title=Innovative decals proposed as solution to native birds crashing into Wellington's cable car terminal|work=Stuff |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/125291083/innovative-decals-proposed-as-solution-to-native-birds-crashing-into-wellingtons-cable-car-terminal|url-status=live|access-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630091149/https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/young-kereru-hitting-skies-and-windows|archive-date=30 June 2021}}

As of 2022, the kererū has been classified under the IUCN Red List as "Least Concern", and the listing reports an increasing population trend. The Department of Conservation (DOC) classifies the kererū under the New Zealand threat classification system as "not threatened" with an increasing population but views the species as conservation dependent.{{Cite book | last1=Robertson | first1=H.A. | last2=Baird | first2=K. | last3=Dowding | first3=J.E. | last4=Elliott | first4=G.P. | last5=Hitchmough | first5=R.A. | last6=Miskelly | first6=C.M. | last7=McArthur | first7=N. | last8=O'Donnell | first8=C.F.J. | last9=Sagar | first9=P.M. | last10=Scofield | first10=R.P. | last11=Taylor | first11=G.A. | date=2017 | title=Conservation status of New Zealand birds, 2016 | location=Wellington, New Zealand | publisher=Department of Conservation, Government of New Zealand | url=http://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs19entire.pdf | isbn=978-1-988514-23-9 | access-date=23 October 2021 | archive-date=26 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026135805/https://www.doc.govt.nz/documents/science-and-technical/nztcs19entire.pdf | url-status=live }} However, it has been argued that several of the factors that caused the historic decrease in population are still present and could continue to damage the population.

A survey of kererū population was undertaken for 10 consecutive days every year from 2013 to 2021, using observations from members of the public. The Great Kererū Count has been claimed to be New Zealand's largest citizen science project. It was led by the conservation organisations Kererū Discovery and Urban Wildlife Trust, in conjunction with city councils in Wellington, Dunedin and Nelson, and Victoria University of Wellington.{{cite web| url=https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2766-the-great-kereru-count| title=The Great Kererū Count| publisher=Science Learning Hub – Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao| access-date=27 June 2021| archive-date=27 June 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627001349/https://www.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2766-the-great-kereru-count| url-status=live}}{{cite web| url=https://www.greatkererucount.nz/#intro| title=The Great Kererū Count| publisher=Urban Wildlife Trust| access-date=27 June 2021| archive-date=27 June 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627001349/https://www.greatkererucount.nz/#intro| url-status=live}}

The findings from the annual count, together with the results of a separate citizen science project—the annual New Zealand Garden Bird Survey—indicate that there has been a recovery in the population of kererū in suburban areas, with a 79% increase in sightings from 2010 to 2020.{{cite news| url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/why-this-hefty-bird-is-making-a-backyard-comeback/HA5XE32EXV4JKQJXORA3JIG4JI/| title=Why this hefty bird is making a backyard comeback| work=The New Zealand Herald | date=17 June 2021| access-date=27 June 2021| archive-date=27 June 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627001347/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/why-this-hefty-bird-is-making-a-backyard-comeback/HA5XE32EXV4JKQJXORA3JIG4JI/| url-status=live}} The final Great Kererū Count was held in 2021, with more sightings recorded than in previous years. There were 24,562 kererū counted in the 10-day period 17–26 September, with 28% from Auckland.{{cite news| url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/126593829/more-kerer-than-ever-recorded-as-final-national-count-wraps-up| title=More kererū than ever recorded as final national count wraps up| work=Stuff | first=Kate| last=Green| date=6 October 2021| access-date=7 October 2021| archive-date=6 October 2021| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006200521/https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/126593829/more-kerer-than-ever-recorded-as-final-national-count-wraps-up| url-status=live}}

File:Kereru_profile.jpg feathers|alt=head of bird with green and purple feathers]]

Traditionally used for both its meat and feathers, the kererū is considered taonga to Māori; as such, for various iwi such as Ngāi Tūhoe, kererū forms an important part of their cultural identity.{{cite journal |last1=Lyver |first1=P. O'B. |last2=Taputu |first2=T. M. |last3=Kutia |first3=S. T. |last4=Tahi |first4=B. |date=2008 |title=Tūhoe Tuawhenua mātauranga of kererū (Hemiphaga novaseelandiae novaseelandiae) in Te Urewera |url=https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/2856.pdf |journal=New Zealand Journal of Ecology |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=7–17 |access-date=12 June 2020 |archive-date=12 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612011243/https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/2856.pdf |url-status=live }} Kererū were the food of choice associated with Puanga celebrations as the birds are fat from eating berries that ripen during this time.{{Cite web|last=Wilson|first=Che|date=2021|title=The difference between Puanga and Matariki. Ko Puanga, ko Matariki me ō rāua hononga|url=https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/maori/matariki-maori-new-year/what-matariki/difference-between-matariki-puanga|url-status=live|access-date=22 August 2021|publisher=Museum of New Zealand|archive-date=22 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210822004302/https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/discover-collections/read-watch-play/maori/matariki-maori-new-year/what-matariki/difference-between-matariki-puanga}} They also tended to be easier to catch at this time of year due to their intoxication from fermented berries. Kererū feathers continue to be retained for making kākahu (fine cloaks), while the tail feathers were used to decorate the tahā huahua (food storage containers).{{cite web|last=Keane|first=Basil|date=24 September 2007|title=Te tāhere manu – bird catching|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-tahere-manu-bird-catching|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217062945/https://teara.govt.nz/en/te-tahere-manu-bird-catching|archive-date=17 February 2021|access-date=12 June 2020|website=Te Ara}}

Snaring was the most common method of capturing kererū; less commonly, birds were speared.{{Cite web|date=2021|title=Snaring birds|url=https://www.waipadc.govt.nz/your-waipa/about-waipa/waipa-history/snaring-birds|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211100849/https://www.waipadc.govt.nz/your-waipa/about-waipa/waipa-history/snaring-birds|archive-date=11 February 2021|access-date=14 October 2021|publisher=Waipā District Council}} One type of snaring used waka waituhi, a trap where snares were placed on the sides of a water trough suspended in a tree. As the kererū landed to drink from the trough, they would become caught by the snare. Occasionally, tame kererū were used as decoys to entice others.{{cite journal|last1=Downes|first1=T. W.|date=1928|title=Bird-snaring, etc., in the Whanganui river district|url=http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_37_1928/Volume_37%2C_No._145/Bird-snaring%2C_etc.%2C_in_the_Whanganui_river_district%2C_by_T._W._Downes%2C_p_1-29/p1|url-status=live|journal=The Journal of the Polynesian Society|volume=37|issue=145|pages=1–29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226094107/http://www.jps.auckland.ac.nz/document//Volume_37_1928/Volume_37%2C_No._145/Bird-snaring%2C_etc.%2C_in_the_Whanganui_river_district%2C_by_T._W._Downes%2C_p_1-29/p1|archive-date=26 February 2021}} Once caught, kererū were typically preserved in their own fat within tahā huahua (food storage containers). They were so abundant that New Zealand ornithologist Walter Buller reported at least 8000 birds were caught and prepared in this manner from a grove of miro near Lake Taupō over July and August 1882.{{cite book | last=Buller | first=Walter | author-link=Walter Buller | year=1888 | title=A History of the Birds of New Zealand | edition=2nd | volume=1 | location=London, England | publisher=Buller | page=234 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53098295 | ref=none | access-date=23 October 2021 | archive-date=21 October 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021112906/https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/53098295 | url-status=live }}

In one Māori legend, the hero and trickster Māui took the form of a kererū when he went down into the underworld in search of his parents. According to this legend, the reason for the kererū's iridescent green-blue and white plumage is because when Māui transformed into the kererū, he was carrying the skirt/apron and belt of his mother, Tāranga. The apron, Te Taro o Tāranga, is represented by the white breast feathers; the belt, Te Tātua a Tāranga, is signified by the green-blue feathers on the neck of the kererū.{{cite journal |last1=Timoti |first1=P. |last2=Lyver |first2=P. O'B. |last3=Matamua |first3=R. |last4=Jones |first4=C. J. |last5=Tahi |first5=B. L. |date=2017 |title=A representation of a Tuawhenua worldview guides environmental conservation |url=https://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol22/iss4/art20/ |journal=Ecology and Society |volume=22 |issue=4 |doi=10.5751/ES-09768-220420 |access-date=12 June 2020 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308132840/http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol22/iss4/art20/ |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}

Kererū remains have been found in both inland and coastal sites throughout New Zealand.{{Cite book|last1=Challis|first1=Aidan J.|url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sr89.pdf|title=Ka Pakihi Whakatekateka o Waitaha: the archaeology of Canterbury in Maori times|date=1995|publisher=Department of Conservation, Government of New Zealand|isbn=978-0-478-01717-5|location=Wellington, New Zealand|language=English|oclc=154289926|access-date=28 August 2021|archive-date=9 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209084940/https://www.doc.govt.nz/globalassets/documents/science-and-technical/sr89.pdf|url-status=live}} Identification of bone specimens in archaeological sites has been difficult due to their being fragmented during preparation for food,{{Cite journal|last1=Seersholm|first1=Frederik V.|last2=Cole|first2=Theresa L.|last3=Grealy|first3=Alicia|last4=Rawlence|first4=Nicolas J.|last5=Greig|first5=Karen|last6=Knapp|first6=Michael|last7=Stat|first7=Michael|last8=Hansen|first8=Anders J.|last9=Easton|first9=Luke J.|last10=Shepherd|first10=Lara|last11=Tennyson|first11=Alan J. D.|date=2018|title=Subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences|volume=115|issue=30|pages=7771–7776|doi=10.1073/pnas.1803573115|issn=0027-8424|pmc=6065006|pmid=29987016|bibcode=2018PNAS..115.7771S |doi-access=free}} or because fine-mesh sieving was not carried out during excavations to retrieve bone samples.{{Cite journal|last1=Allen|first1=Melinda S.|last2=Holdaway|first2=Richard N.|date=2010|title=Archaeological avifauna of Harataonga, Great Barrier Island, New Zealand: implications for avian palaeontology, Maori prehistory, and archaeofaunal recovery techniques|journal=Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand |volume=40|issue=1|pages=11–25|doi=10.1080/03036751003641719| doi-access=free }} A genetic analysis of bones from paleontological and archaeological sites, to determine the extent of fauna and the human impact on them, identified kererū bones at seven archaeological sites.{{Cite journal |first1=Frederik V. |last1=Seersholm |first2=Theresa L. |last2=Cole |first3=Alicia |last3=Grealy |first4=Nicolas J. |last4=Rawlence |first5=Karen |last5=Greig |first6=Michael |last6=Knapp |first7=Michael |last7=Stat |first8=Anders J. |last8=Hansen |first9=Luke J. |last9=Easton |first10=Lara |last10=Shepherd |first11=Alan J. D. |last11=Tennyson |first12=R. Paul |last12=Scofield |first13=Richard |last13=Walter |first14=Michael |last14=Bunce |date=2018 |title=Supplementary information for subsistence practices, past biodiversity, and anthropogenic impacts revealed by New Zealand-wide ancient DNA survey |url=https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/suppl/2018/07/04/1803573115.DCSupplemental/pnas.1803573115.sapp.pdf |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=115 |issue=30 |pages=7771–7776 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1803573115 |pmid=29987016 |pmc=6065006 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115.7771S |doi-access=free |access-date=28 August 2021 |archive-date=27 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727065715/https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/suppl/2018/07/04/1803573115.DCSupplemental/pnas.1803573115.sapp.pdf |url-status=live }} These sites give insight into the interactions between humans and kererū, including the effect of Māori hunting on historic kererū populations.{{Cite web|last=Daly|first=Michael|date=10 July 2018|title=With new DNA technique, fossil fragments reveal human impact on Aotearoa|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/105337499/with-new-dna-technique-fossil-fragments-reveal-human-impact-on-aotearoa|url-status=live|access-date=27 July 2021|website=Stuff |language=en|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727065705/https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/105337499/with-new-dna-technique-fossil-fragments-reveal-human-impact-on-aotearoa}} As well as being found on the main islands of New Zealand, kererū bones have also been recovered from sites excavated at Harataonga Bay on Great Barrier Island. In the South Island, excavations in 2018 at the Raincliff rock art shelter in South Canterbury, revealed kererū along with the bones of rats, extinct moa and New Zealand quail.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=24 January 2019|title=Department of Conservation blog: Archaeological site exposed near Geraldine|url=https://blog.doc.govt.nz/2019/01/25/archaeological-site-exposed-near-geraldine/|url-status=live|access-date=27 July 2021|publisher=Department of Conservation, Government of New Zealand|archive-date=27 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210727053806/https://blog.doc.govt.nz/2019/01/25/archaeological-site-exposed-near-geraldine/}} Kererū bones, along with bones of other forest birds kākā, kākāpō and red-crowned parakeets, were also found in rock shelter sites on Lee Island, Lake Te Anau in Southland.{{Cite book|title=Beech forest hunters: the archaeology of Maori rockshelter sites on Lee Island, Lake Te Anau, in Southern New Zealand|publisher=New Zealand Archaeological Association|year=1991|isbn=0959791515|editor-last=Anderson|editor-first=Atholl |editor-link=Atholl Anderson |series=New Zealand Archaeological Association monograph 18|location=Auckland, New Zealand |pages=59–65|oclc=24578263|editor-last2=McGovern-Wilson|editor-first2=Richard}}

File:Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae (AM LB12098-1) (cropped).jpg

From the 1990s, the issue of whether to re-establish the customary harvest of kererū has received significant public and political attention.{{cite journal|last1=Weaver|first1=S.|date=1997|title=The Call of the Kererū: The Question of Customary Use|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38406184|journal=The Contemporary Pacific|volume=9|issue=2|pages=383–398|access-date=3 July 2021|archive-date=19 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219204333/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/38406184_The_Call_of_the_Kereru_The_Question_of_Customary_Use|url-status=live}} In 1994, the New Zealand Conservation Authority published a discussion paper about allowing the harvest of various species protected under the Wildlife Act 1953, including the kererū.{{cite report |author=New Zealand Conservation Authority |date=1997 |title=Maori customary use of native birds, plants & other traditional materials (Interim report and discussion paper) |url=https://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/getting-involved/nz-conservation-authority-and-boards/nz-conservation-authority/maori-customary.PDF |publisher=New Zealand Conservation Authority |location=Wellington, New Zealand |access-date=12 June 2020 |isbn=0-9583301-6-6 |archive-date=5 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180205133508/http://www.doc.govt.nz/Documents/getting-involved/nz-conservation-authority-and-boards/nz-conservation-authority/maori-customary.PDF |url-status=live }} It has been argued that preventing the customary harvests of taonga such as kererū is in-part degrading or facilitating the loss of mātauranga (traditional knowledge) among Māori. Furthermore, some argue that because the Treaty of Waitangi guarantees tangata whenua possession of taonga such as kererū, it therefore guarantees their right to harvest those taonga.{{cite news|last=Gillman|first=L.|date=16 August 2016|title=Len Gillman: Sustainable harvest solution to kereru conflict|work=New Zealand Herald|url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11694369|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612053746/https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11694369|url-status=live}} Currently, customary use of kererū is restricted to the use of feathers and bones obtained from dead birds collected by DOC.{{cite news|last=Fuller|first=P.|date=4 September 2018|title=Dead native birds become tomorrow's taonga|work=Dominion Post|publisher=Stuff |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/106720054/dead-native-birds-become-tomorrows-taonga|access-date=12 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612011233/https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/106720054/dead-native-birds-become-tomorrows-taonga|archive-date=12 June 2020}}

The kererū is featured on the reverse side of the series 3 (1967–1981) and series 4 (1981–1991) New Zealand twenty-dollar note.{{Cite web|last=Pollock|first=Kerryn|date=20 June 2012|title=Third series of banknotes: $20|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/36405/third-series-of-banknotes-20|url-status=live|access-date=17 October 2021|website=Te Ara – Encyclopedia of New Zealand|archive-date=17 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211017021309/https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/36405/third-series-of-banknotes-20}} In 2018, the kererū was the winner of the annual Bird of the Year competition run by the New Zealand Forest & Bird organisation.{{cite news|last=Rosenberg|first=Matthew|date=15 October 2018|title=Bird of the Year win follows nationwide census of kererū|work=Stuff |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107849009/bird-of-the-year-win-follows-nationwide-census-of-kerer?rm=a|access-date=27 June 2021|archive-date=27 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627001347/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/107849009/bird-of-the-year-win-follows-nationwide-census-of-kerer?rm=a|url-status=live}}{{cite news|last=Ainge Roy|first=Eleanor|date=14 October 2018|title=New Zealand bird of the year: 'drunk, gluttonous' kererū pigeon wins|work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/15/new–zealand–bird–of–the–year–drunk–gluttonous–kereru–pigeon–wins|access-date=4 July 2021}} In 2019, the exoplanet originally named HD 137388 b was renamed in honour of the kererū.{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Katy|date=16 June 2019|title=New Zealand gets to name an exoplanet and its host star|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/113530831/new-zealand-gets-to-name-an-exoplanet-and-its-host-star|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218190120/https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/118284471/stars-named-after-native-new-zealand-pigeon-and-plant|archive-date=18 December 2019|access-date=3 July 2021|website=Stuff |language=en}}{{Cite web|date=18 December 2019|title=Distant celestial objects now 'Kererū' and 'Karaka'|url=https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2019/12/18/distant-celestial-objects-now-kereru-and-karaka.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819214652/https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/2019/12/18/distant-celestial-objects-now-kereru-and-karaka.html|archive-date=19 August 2020|access-date=14 October 2021|publisher=University of Auckland}}

• List of birds of New Zealand

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae}}

{{Wikispecies|Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae}}

• [http://www.kererudiscovery.org.nz The Kererū Discovery Project], a programme for New Zealanders to help arrest the decline of the species through awareness and action in their own gardens
• [https://www.greatkererucount.nz/ The Great Kererū Count] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627001349/https://www.greatkererucount.nz/ |date=27 June 2021 }}, an annual citizen science project counting kererū throughout New Zealand
• [https://projectkereru.org.nz/ Project Kererū], a voluntary community based conservation project
• [https://teara.govt.nz/en/object/2515/pigeon-trough Photo of pigeon trough (snare) in Te Ara]

{{Birds of New Zealand|state=collapsed}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1145127}}

{{Authority control}}

Kererū

Category:Hemiphaga

Kererū

Category:Endemic birds of New Zealand

Kererū