Mātātā Fern bird spotted in Taupō Swamp near Plimmerton. Photo: Supplied/Greater Wellington
Catching an elusive mātātā on camera has been described as "incredible" and a reflection of the work done to improve Taupō Swamp's biodiversity.
The bird was spotted in the wetland, near Plimmerton north of Wellington, last year but wasn't caught on camera until recently.
Friends of Taupō Swamp and Catchment chair Judy McKoy told Morning Report the mātātā were "elusive".
"In the past the only way that I have seen one is to have the bird call on my phone and they're attracted to that.
"But to actually get one on camera so close to where someone was working shows that we have a viable population there now."
The important thing now was to keep up the hard work to look after the birds and their habitat, she said.
"Just Incredible, we are so excited about this, this is such a tangible outcome of the work that everybody is doing, not just us this is a huge team effort."
Greater Wellington senior biodiversity advisor Jo Fagan said the mātātā were a sign the wetland was healthy.
"Mātātā live in ecologically diverse habitats with rich food supplies, and we are very happy the wetlands are providing that for not only mātātā, but also the pūweto (spotless crake) and matuku-hūrepo (Australasian bittern)."
