The Newsroom Blog

Churchgoers See Rare New Zealand Bird

White Heron visits Rangiora Latter-day Saint meetinghouse grounds

Worshipers at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Rangiora, New Zealand, were delighted to see a rare white heron, or kōtuku, in their meetinghouse grounds on Sunday 28 July.

Gert Hendriks, a local Latter-day Saint, noticed the bird and recognized it as the bird he has looked for over many years.   

            

"I went to the West Coast as a young fella to see them and I didn't see one,"  Gert Hendriks told Christchurch newspaper, The Press.

"I have never seen one in my whole life and then one pops up in Rangiora."

Read more at Stuff.co.nz.

Gert's wife, Wendy Hendriks, snapped a photo of the bird before it flew off.

  

  

There are approximately 200 white heron in New Zealand living in wetlands and estuaries.

Browse the Blog

About The Blog: This blog is managed and written by staff of the Public Affairs Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The information here is reliable and accurate but should not necessarily be viewed as official statements from the Church. The purpose of this blog is to provide journalists, bloggers, and the public with additional context and information regarding public issues involving the Church. For official news releases and statements from the Church, visit MormonNewsroom.org.

Style Guide Note: When reporting about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, please use the complete name of the Church in the first reference. For more information on the use of the name of the Church, go to our online Style Guide.