The Tasmanian Native Hen is locally referred to as the “Turbo Chook” or Road Runner, though it is not. It is a mostly flightless bird that can run very fast and has a loud raucous call.
Apparently they are great eating!
After preparation, it’s best to cook them for an hour in a pot of water with a rock, then throw away the bird, and eat the rock.
And yes, their eyes are really that red!
Speaking of rock, how have I never heard of the late Dick Dale – Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019) until last week? Touted as the founder of surf rock, “King of surf guitar”, he worked with Fender to get the sound (and VOLUME) he wanted from his guitar and was a pioneer of reverb pedals. One of the most influential guitarists of all time, some say this is were heavy metal also started.
This is one of his more engergetic tunes, Nitro. This is a music rabbit hole well worth exploring!!
Thanks for running by 😀
TasView 
Your post brought to mind the USA Roadrunner. Tasmanian native hen and the state bird of New Mexico, the greater roadrunner, are both members of the order Passeriformes, which includes most of the perching birds. However, they belong to different families within this order. The Tasmanian native hen is a flightless rail in the family Rallidae, while the greater roadrunner is a ground cuckoo in the family Cuculida.
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Wow! Thanks for that extra info mike, I had no idea. Apparently the Tas native hen can run 50km an hour, which is pretty quick for a little bird.
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With those long legs he’d be hard to catch for the pot 😊. A new bird to me, nice shots!
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Good point! They’re usually hard to get close to around here too. I saw 4 or 5 tiny chicks when I drove along my road this morning – of course I didn’t have my camera with me as I’d only taken the dog to the vet. I might try and get a family portrait in the next few days 🙂
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Haha, I love the name Turbo Chook!! 💖😍
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Hi Sandra, incredibly they can reach speeds of up to 50 km/h!! They can be pretty erratic and funny to watch, but not so funny when they start squawking first thing in the morning, they are very LOUD
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I understand that recipe also works for cooking cockatoos! 🙂
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Indeed, though I’ve never tried it 😉
Thanks for dropping by.
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Are you sure that’s the correct recipe?! 😀
Great photos of this very unusual bird!
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Thanks Morgaine, a rock is certainly easier to catch! I saw some chicks today so hoping to catch some photos of them!
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