Kagus live in most kinds of forest on Grand Terre, although they seem to prefer tropical rainforests, from sea level up to 4,200 feet (1,400 meters). They will forage in shrubby or bushy areas and in low-growing dry forest, during the seasonal rains, when their sort of animal food becomes abundant. Kagus do not inhabit grasslands.
An adult kagu is about the size of a domestic chicken, with a head-and-body length of about 22 inches (55 centimeters), and a weight of 1.5 to 2.5 pounds (24 to 40 ounces). A kagu resembles a small crane with a coat of very light gray feathers, a short tail, and reddish-orange beak, eyes, legs, and feet. A crest of feathers crowns the kagu's head. When not raised for display, the crest lays…
The kagu eats ground-living snails, insects, spiders, earthworms and lizards, which it forages for on forest floors. The most popular foods among kagus are earthworms and snails. Since the abundance and types of food creatures change with the seasons, and to keep from eating too much food in one area, kagus forage in different parts of their territories at different times of the year. A kagu begin…
Kagus are active during the day and sleep at night. A kagu sleeps out the night at one of several sleeping stations in its territory, rotating its overnights at the various stations over time. Most of the time, a kagu climbs a tree to perch for the night on a branch 5 to 12 feet (1.5 to 3.7 meters) above the ground. In high, mountainous territory with cool nights, a kagu prefers nighttime shelter …
Like many island bird species, the ancestors of the kagus lost their powers of flight and became ground-living animals. With no predators to fear and plenty of food on the forest floors, kagus had no need of flight and the enormous amounts of energy that flying requires. So the ancestral kagus gave up flying, keeping large wings for display purposes. They were safe on the ground and must have been…
The kagu is listed as Endangered, facing a very high risk of extinction, under the U.S. Endangered Species Act and on the Red List of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The rehabilitation of the kagu is one of conservation's better success stories, although the birds are still listed as Endangered. That kagus still survive and have even increased their numbers since 1980 is largely due to…
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