[00:00.00]New Guinea is a vast island nestled close to the continental landmass of Australia.
[00:06.20]As we move south and east, to smaller, more distant islands,
[00:10.04]the wildlife becomes even more unusual.
[00:13.34]The little-known island of New Caledonia is a small sliver of Australia
[00:17.83]that was cast adrift over 60 million years ago.
[00:20.95]It's home to a creature that seems to have evolved quite strangely.
[00:25.18]It has wings, but it can't fly.
[00:27.80]It is the kagu.
[00:30.01]Kagu families stick together,
[00:32.51]with young from previous years helping to declare the family territory.
[00:35.96]All intruders are chased away.
[00:38.66]It's the breeding season,
[00:40.59]when males rekindle the flame with their life-long partners.
[00:44.58]It's hard to know what the kagu is related to,
[00:47.85]a heron, a rail, or maybe a pigeon.
[00:51.42]Its closest relative may actually be the sunbittern of South America,
[00:56.16]7,000 miles to the east.