This is a Cagou, a flightless bird that is endemic to New Caledonia and which is the unofficial national bird. Steve pointed his finger close to this one and it puffed up, showing off its top feathers.

October 12, 2011

On Wednesday, we visited the Musee de la Ville de Noumea where we learned that New Caledonia began as a penal colony for prisoners from France. These prisoners were used as laborers in the nickle mines but when it became too costly to ship prisoners here from France, New Caledonia imported workers from New Hebrides, followed by Javanese laborers, and then Japanese workers who were deported 20 years later after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. With World War II came the US soldiers who provided the infrastructure for New Caledonia by building the sewer and water systems. Over 1 million U.S. solders came through New Caledonia during the war and are credited with modernizing New Caledonia. We then enjoyed a large and leisurely French lunch at a restaurant in the Centre Ville. The French have their largest meal of the day at lunch rather than at dinner. Although we felt like taking a nap, we hiked up the hill to the lovely Noumea Zoo where we saw the Cagou, a flightless bird, endemic to New Caledonia. The Cagou is a protected species now raised in captivity because of the predators, such as dogs, that have been introduced to the island and threaten their existence. The zoo was filled with colorful and exotic birds. They even have 10 Japanese Cranes, a highly endangered specie. We hiked back in time to buy a nice baguette and chocolate eclair at our favorite patisserie, thereby negating all of the calories we burned today.