Kereru (New Zealand Wood Pigeon) Art Prints

Kererū. Oh, these ridiculous, wonderful birds.

I have a soft spot for them. They're just so much. Big, iridescent, improbable. New Zealand's native wood pigeon looks like someone tried to design a bird but got slightly carried away with the colour palette. That green-purple sheen on their neck feathers! In certain light it goes almost teal. I've painted them more times than I can count.

At my last studio, there was a kōwhai tree right outside the window. Two kererū adopted it, or maybe they adopted me. We called them Back to Snack, because that's exactly what they did. Every day they'd come crashing in. And I do mean crashing, because a New Zealand pigeon does not land so much as arrive with consequences. Then they'd just... sit there. Eating. While I painted, they ate. While I fretted over a wash that wasn't drying right, they ate. They were very good company, actually. Very calming in their single-mindedness.

There's something genuinely moving about kereru facts beyond the comedy of it. They're the only native NZ bird large enough to swallow certain seeds whole. Tāwapou, miro, karaka. Quietly holding the forest together while looking absolutely ridiculous doing it.

Back to Snack would approve of that legacy, I think.