New names for young falcons
30 January 2014
The young kārearea (New Zealand falcons) released at Rotorua Museum on 2 January, are now out and about entertaining visitors with their playful antics and flying displays.
Since mid-December, when they were placed in a nesting box on the roof of the museum, the three birds have been known affectionately as Little Orange, Little White and Little Green - according to the colour of their respective leg bands.
Rotorua Museum and Wingspan ran online competitions on Facebook and Trade Me to give the falcons more appropriate names, which has resulted in fantastic new names for the falcons.
The fundraising Trade Me auction for naming Little Green was won by an Auckland-based member of Wingspan.
Wingspan director, Debbie Stewart, said bidding continued well after the auction's closing time.
The auction was supposed to close at 8pm, and with 40 seconds remaining and a bid of $1,050 we thought it had finished, but the bids kept coming. The final bid of $3,050 will provide much needed funds for Wingspan and we are absolutely delighted.
The naming sponsors for Little Green have decided on Tama' which translates to boy' but is also a reflection of the Te Arawa wharenui (meeting house), Tamatekapua at Ohinemutu on Rotorua's lakefront.
The Facebook competition to name the remaining two falcons - a boy (Little White) and a girl (Little Orange) - attracted a wide range of entries from Edmund' and Hilary' to Hinemoa' and Tutanekai'. In the end, judges settled on Te Rangi Rere I Waho' for the girl, in honour of the late Maureen Te Rangi Rere I Waho Waaka who dedicated much of her life to making Rotorua the place it is today. The male falcon has been named Hatupatu, after the legendary Te Arawa hunter. This name has a strong connection to the Museum which tells the story of Hatupatu and the Bird Woman' and also houses a matapihi (carved window) from the meeting house Nuku-Te-Apiapi depicting Hatupatu.
The three falcons, Tama, Maureen and Hatupatu, can be seen around the museum and Government Gardens area. Volunteer monitors are on duty from dawn to dusk and are available to help visitors spot the birds. Rotorua Museum also has a special display, called On the Wing, about kārearea, the urban release project, and the work Wingspan does.
In addition, there are two opportunities to see an adult kārearea up close as part of a talk that Wingspan will be doing at Rotorua Museum on 1 February and 15 February. These talks start at 10am each day and are free with Museum admission.