The Maori name for the New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), a large, striking native bird with iridescent green and bronze plumage and a distinctive white breast. Kukupa is widely used in New Zealand alongside the alternative Maori name 'kereru,' and both names appear in everyday conversation, conservation writing, and news media. The bird is a taonga (treasure) species for Maori and plays an important ecological role as a seed disperser for native trees. It is also known for its loud, whooshing wingbeats.
A kukupa landed heavily in the pohutukawa tree and sat there looking enormous and unbothered.
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(NZ) The New Zealand pigeon.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
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