of leaves, fern fronds, flowers, fruit and invertebrates. Kōkako and humans In Māori and modern New Zealand culture Māori myth refers to the kōkako in several stories. In one notable story, a kōkako gave Māui water as he fought the sun by filling its plump wattles with water and offering it to Māui to quench his thirst. Māui rewarded kōkako for its kindness by stretching its legs until they were lean, long and strong, so that kōkako could easily leap through the forest to find food. The kōkako appears on the reverse side of the New Zealand $50 note. See also Birds of New Zealand Wattle References Further reading Murphy S.A., Flux I.A. and Double M.C. (2006) Recent evolutionary history of New Zealand's North and South Island Kokako (Callaeas cinerea) inferred from mitochondrial DNA sequences. Emu 106: 41–48. External links Database and map of potential South Island kōkako reports Kokako Recovery A website developed by private enthusiasts to promote the Kokako Recovery Programme Kōkako vocalizations (Xeno-canto) TerraNature page on wattlebirds Artworks featuring Kokako and Specimens of kōkako including albinos in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The role of 1080 poison in pest control for kōkako recovery Kokako Lost - The Last Days of the Great Barrier and Coromandel Crow A journal of 26 months of field research on kōkako in the southern Coromandel, by Sid Marsh Callaeas Birds of New Zealand