Native NZ Birds

About the Native NZ Birds

Perhaps more than any country in the world, New Zealand was once a land of birds. From millions of years of isolation in the vast expanse of the pacific, the wildlife of New Zealand remained free from mammalian predators until the arrival of humans in just the past few hundred years. With no ground-based predators to evade, many species of birds became ground-nesting or even flightless - some became gigantic, free from flight-based weight restrictions.

Information on this page thanks to www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz and www.doc.govt.nz.

Bellbird - Korimako

Other names: makomako, mockie.
A beautiful bird if you see it in the sunlight with its soft yellow/olive green colour. Being well camouflaged and relatively "shy" it is usually heard before it is seen. Its bell-like song is sometimes confused with the Tui.
Most New Zealanders can easily recognise the bellbird by its melodious song, which Captain Cook described as sounding ‘like small bells exquisitely tuned’. They sing throughout the day, but more so in the early morning and late evening.
Bellbirds are unique to New Zealand, occurring on the three main islands, many offshore islands and also the Auckland Islands.
Bellbirds have a short, curved bill, slightly forked tail, and noisy whirring, fast and direct flight.

Kereru

This large and distinctively-coloured pigeon is a familiar sight to many New Zealanders. This is because the NZ pigeon (or kereru) has a widespread distribution through the country, being present in extensive tracts of native forest, and rural and urban habitats, including most cities.
As well as allowing close approach, it often roosts conspicuously, such as on powerlines or on the tops of trees.
The distinctive sound of its wing beats in flight also draws attention.
Kereru also frequently feature on works of art, such as paintings and sculptures. However, even though it is widespread, like many forest birds its abundance is severely compromised by introduced mammals, particularly possums, stoats and ship rats.
Only where these pests are not present (predator-free islands) or are controlled to low levels do kereru populations thrive.

White Heron - Kotuku

The white heron or kotuku is well-loved by the New Zealand people, but it is rarely seen except by those who specifically seek it out.
Its sole New Zealand breeding site near Okarito Lagoon in Westland is well-known and well-protected, but elsewhere it is 'He kotuku rerenga tahi' or the bird of single flight, implying something seen perhaps once in a lifetime.
When seen in close proximity it is a magnificent bird, with its large size and clean white plumage.
A large white heron with a long yellow bill, long dark legs and a very long neck.
When breeding, the bill becomes grey-black and long filamentous plumes develop, mainly on the back.
In flight, the white heron tucks its heads back into its shoulders so that the length of its neck is hidden, giving it a hunched appearance. When walking, the white heron has an elegant upright stance showing the extreme length of its neck.

Huia
Artists' impression of a female huia. April 2016. John and Melody Anderson, Wayfarer International Ltd | www.wayfarerimages.co.nz

The iconic huia was the largest of the five New Zealand wattlebird species.
It was a striking large songbird, mainly black with long white-tipped tail feathers.
Female and male huia had dramatically different bill sizes and shapes; this was the most extreme sexual bill dimorphism of any bird species.
A fleshy orange wattle hung at the base of each side of the bill, and was often held pressed under the chin.
Maori named the bird after its loud distress call, described as "a smooth, unslurred whistle rendered as uia, uia, uia or where are you?"
The last accepted sighting was in 1907, but it is likely that a few huia persisted into the 1920s.

Falcon - Karearea

Other names: bush hawk, sparrow hawk, bush falcon, quail hawk.
Falcons around the world are known for their fearlessness, and Karearea is not lacking in this trait. Capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h and catching prey larger than itself, it is one of New Zealand's most spectacular birds.
A very versatile and adaptable species compared with many other falcons, the short, deep rounded wings, and long tail make them exceptionally manoeuvrable. Combined with their long legs and toes this allows them to weave through dense bush and catch small birds on the wing.
One of 38 species of falcon worldwide, the Karearea is endemic to NZ and has a wide distribution, being found on both the North and South Islands and several offshore islands, including Stewart Island and the subantarctic Auckland Islands.

Fantail - Piwakawaka

Other names: grey fantail, pied fantail, black fantail, tirairaka.
The fantail has in the past topped the national poll as NZ Bird of the Year. Fantails appear tame and friendly – following people and snatching sandflies and other insects disturbed by human activity.
The fantail’s tail contributes to its distinctive flight – twisting and turning in the air as it catches insects in flight.
Fantails are quite vocal, except when it's particularly cold. Its call is like a kissing sound. They regularly give ‘cheep’ calls in a number of situations, such as when foraging or alarmed.
The fantail is widespread in extensive native forest blocks, small forest patches, scrubland, exotic plantations, farm shelterbelts, orchards, and well-treed suburban parks and gardens.

Kiwi

New Zealand's national bird, the flightless and largely nocturnal Kiwi is a remarkable and curious bird with tiny vestigial wings and no tail.
The Kiwi is more often heard than seen. The male gives a repeated high-pitched ascending whistle, female gives a deeper throaty cry.
During the day they rest in a burrow, hollow tree or log, or under thick vegetation and emerge shortly after nightfall.
They feed by walking slowly along tapping the ground and when prey is detected they probe their bill into the leaf litter or a rotten log; occasionally plunging their bill deep into the ground.
It was once thought that NZ had three species of kiwi, now it is thought that there are five - Brown Kiwi, Tokoeka, Rowi, Great spotted kiwi, and Little spotted kiwi.

Kokako

The Kōkako is an endangered forest bird which is endemic to New Zealand. It is slate-grey/blue with bright blue wattles and a black mask.
It is one of three species of NZ Wattlebird, the other two being the near threatened Tieke (Saddleback) and the extinct Huia.
Previously widespread, Kōkako populations throughout NZ have been decimated by the predations of mammalian invasive species such as possums, stoats, cats and rats and their range has contracted significantly.

Morepork Owl - Ruru

The morepork is New Zealand’s only surviving native owl.
At dusk, the melancholy sound of the morepork can be heard in forests and parks as it calls to other moreporks and claims territory.
Its European name (morepork), Māori name (ruru) come from its two-part cry.
During the day moreporks sleep in roosts and by night they fly almost silently and hunt a variety of prey.

Red Admiral Butterfly - Kahukura
Not a bird, but beautiful none the less.

The New Zealand Red Admiral butterfly is endemic to New Zealand.
The Māori name is Kahukura which means red cloak.
The top side of the forewings is basically black with a central bright red bar running back from the front edge.
There are white spots, fringed with light blue, near the tips.

Rifleman - Titipounamu

New Zealand's smallest bird, one of the two remaining New Zealand Wrens.
The NZ wrens split off from the other song-birds so early that they lack a true song - they just squeak.
The Rifleman is named for its olive green top coat similar to the colour of the jackets worn by early colonial soldiers.
The Maori name refers to colour as well - being similar to Greenstone (Pounamu).
These little birds are so small and move around so much that they are very difficult to catch on camera!

Saddleback - Tieke

In Maori tradition, it is said to have received its chestnut saddle from Maui, who asked the bird to fetch him some water to quench his thirst as he fought the sun. The tīeke pretended not to hear and in his anger Maui gripped the bird in his hot hand, burning its back.
The Saddleback or Tieke is a previously rare and endangered NZ bird.
It is glossy black with a chestnut saddle.
Its family is also known as that of the NZ "wattlebirds" which includes the Kokako as well as the extinct Huia.
All members of this family have coloured fleshy appendages on either side of the beak known as "wattles". In the case of Saddleback, they are a vivid orange/red in colour.
Saddlebacks are extremely active foragers utilising the forest floor to the canopy.

Tui

The tūī has an exceptional vocal range, from harsh squawks, clicks and whirrs to bell-like melodies.
Tūī mimic other birds and various sounds from their environment.
Part of their range is beyond human hearing, so in the middle of a song they can seem to fall suddenly silent.
Māori sometimes trained tūī to talk, and some chiefs taught their caged birds complex speeches. To help them speak clearly, their brush-tipped tongues were trimmed.
Tūī are dark iridescent green with purple and azure highlights. They have two tufted white feathers under the chin, inspiring their other name, parson bird.