Watercolour Painting by Avril Jean - Weka

Original watercolour painting by Avril Jean.

Mounted and framed in a New Zealand made wooden frame.

Frame size 40 x 39 cm 
Mount outer size: 32.5 x 31.5 cm
Mount window size 18.5 x 16.5 cm

About the Weka:

The weka is one of New Zealand’s iconic large flightless birds. Likely derived from a flighted ancestor, weka are 3-6 times larger than banded rails, which are considered their nearest flying relatives. Weka are charismatic birds that are often attracted to human activity. This makes an encounter with a weka a wildlife highlight for many people, as the curious bird searches for any food item that the intruder might bring. But people who live alongside weka often have a less charitable opinion, as they have to live with ever-watchful weka snatching opportunities to raid vegetable gardens, pilfer poultry food and eggs, and even steal dog food from the bowl. Unfortunately weka are not as robust as they appear, and have become extinct over large tracts of the mainland. Causes of extinction are complex, and are likely to be due to interactions between climatic conditions (especially drought) and predator numbers (especially ferrets, stoats and dogs). Fortunately, weka still thrive at many accessible sites, including on Kawau, Mokoia, Kapiti, Ulva and Chatham Islands, the Marlborough Sounds, North Westland, and parts of the Abel Tasman, Heaphy and Milford Tracks.