We've got new knowledge about the whakapapa of kōkako, huia, and tīeke saddlebacks.
They're all part of the Wattle bird family, unique to Aotearoa.
A Otago based study has analysed the bird's mitogenomes to discover they arrived here 20 million years ago.
Dr Nic Rawlence, Director at Otago Palaeogenetics Laboratory talks to Jesse about what their research tells them about Aotearoa's very early days.
North Island Saddleback on Tiritiri Matangi Island. Photo: Duncan Wright (CC BY-SA 3.0)
