weka

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we·ka

(wē′kə, wā′-)

A flightless rail (Gallirallus australis) of New Zealand, having mottled brown plumage and short legs.

[Maori.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

weka

(ˈweɪkə; ˈwiːkə)

(Animals) any flightless New Zealand rail of the genus Gallirallus, having a mottled brown plumage and rudimentary wings. Also: Māori hen or wood hen

[C19: from Māori, of imitative origin]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

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Noun

weka - flightless New Zealand rail of thievish disposition having short wings each with a spur used in fighting

maori hen, wood hen

rail - any of numerous widely distributed small wading birds of the family Rallidae having short wings and very long toes for running on soft mud

Gallirallus, genus Gallirallus - rails of New Zealand

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References in periodicals archive ?

"The only bad thing about filming there was competing with the wekas .

Intrepid Bob's new challenge

"The only bad thing about filming there was competing with the wekas. The weka is a bird that can't fly and they all want to be actors.

Challenger of a lifetime; WHOLE NEW WORLD OPENED UP FOR BOB

Tackling the wekas was easy for Hoskins in comparison to the strenuous physicality of battling with dinosaurs.