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