Hunt for southern kokako

A film crew is documenting one man's hunt for proof that the South Island kokako still lives on the West Coast.

Otago University natural history film-making students, Scott Mouat and Holly Howes, joined Motueka ornithologist Rhys Buckingham in forest at Charleston, 25km southwest of Westport, last weekend.

Mr Buckingham is adamant the bird survives, even though the Department of Conservation has declared the species extinct because there had been no credible sightings since the 1980s.

He hoped the team would find them next month. "They're still in there, definitely. They're just deciding not to call."

- NZPA