Seen it! Seen it! Seen it! Seen

alone by the grey warbler. grey the by alone times per day! per times

warbler eggs and nestlings from the nest and is raised raised is and nest the from nestlings and eggs warbler

Young are fed about every 10 minutes – about 100 100 about – minutes 10 every about fed are Young

an egg in another nearby. another in egg an

her egg. After hatching, the cuckoo chick ejects all grey grey all ejects chick cuckoo the hatching, After egg. her

will have a large chick in one nest and be incubating incubating be and nest one in chick large a have will

single egg from the grey warbler nest, replacing it with with it replacing nest, warbler grey the from egg single role of feeding the previous brood. previous the feeding of role

When enough fruit is available, some pairs of kererū kererū of pairs some available, is fruit enough When

shining cuckoo. The female shining cuckoo removes a a removes cuckoo shining female The cuckoo. shining starts building the next nest, the male takes over the the over takes male the nest, next the building starts

Grey warblers are the only mainland host for the the for host mainland only the are warblers Grey

Both adults feed the young, but as soon as the female female the as soon as but young, the feed adults Both

the walls of the parents' crops, mixed with fruit pulp. pulp. fruit with mixed crops, parents' the of walls the

about 14 days and the chicks fledge at about 13 days. days. 13 about at fledge chicks the and days 14 about

fed ‘pigeon milk’, a protein-rich milky secretion from from secretion milky protein-rich a milk’, ‘pigeon fed

and early breeding. Both adults incubate eggs for for eggs incubate adults Both breeding. early and Females lay 3–5 eggs per clutch. clutch. per eggs 3–5 lay Females

is It old. days 40 about when nest the leaves chick

success of the species is largely due to their prolific prolific their to due largely is species the of success those in the South Island usually have two broods. broods. two have usually Island South the in those

The after. look parents both which nest, per egg

pairing seldom survives more than one season. The The season. one than more survives seldom pairing Birds in the north raise one brood per season, whereas whereas season, per brood one raise north the in Birds

mainly in spring and early summer producing one one producing summer early and spring in mainly

in pairs all year but high mortality means that the the that means mortality high but year all pairs in the outer branches of the canopy, 2–4 m off the ground. ground. the off m 2–4 canopy, the of branches outer the

As long-lived birds, they breed slowly. They nest nest They slowly. breed they birds, long-lived As

The fantail lifespan is less than 3 years. Fantails stay stay Fantails years. 3 than less is lifespan fantail The The nest is a hanging enclosed dome, usually found in in found usually dome, enclosed hanging a is nest The

Grey warblers usually breed from August to January. January. to August from breed usually warblers Grey

the regeneration of our native forests. native our of regeneration the

disturbing food for them to eat! to them for food disturbing

disappearance of the kererū would be a disaster for for disaster a be would kererū the of disappearance

not because they are friendly, it’s because you are are you because it’s friendly, are they because not

insects and spiders from plants. from spiders and insects

fruit, such as those of karaka, tawa and taraire. The The taraire. and tawa karaka, of those as such fruit,

will hang around people (and other birds), but it’s it’s but birds), other (and people around hang will

Grey warblers are insectivores, often hovering to pick pick to hovering often insectivores, are warblers Grey

disperser with a beak big enough to swallow large large swallow to enough big beak a with disperser

for insects, plucking the insects from the air. They They air. the from insects the plucking insects, for

the extinction of moa, kererū are now the only seed seed only the now are kererū moa, of extinction the

tails to change direction quickly while hunting hunting while quickly direction change to tails

to observe. to Kererū eat berries, leaves, buds and flowers. Since Since flowers. and buds leaves, berries, eat Kererū

beetles and sometimes fruit. Fantails use their broad broad their use Fantails fruit. sometimes and beetles

mid to high levels of the canopy, making them difficult difficult them making canopy, the of levels high to mid

Their main prey are moths, flies, spiders, wasps, wasps, spiders, flies, moths, are prey main Their

urban parks and rural and suburban gardens. suburban and rural and parks urban They are typically found only in woody vegetation, in in vegetation, woody in only found typically are They

of forest types. Providing there is food, they also visit visit also they food, is there Providing types. forest of are trees or shrubs, including rural and urban areas. areas. urban and rural including shrubs, or trees are

harsh. Their range extends from sea level to the snowline. the to level sea from extends range Their harsh.

throughout the country. They inhabit a wide variety variety wide a inhabit They country. the throughout there where everywhere occurs warbler grey The

widespread except where frosts and snow falls are too too are falls snow and frosts where except widespread

Kererū are found in most lowland native forests forests native lowland most in found are Kererū

Fantails are endemic (unique) to New Zealand and are are and Zealand New to (unique) endemic are Fantails

as a contact call near the male. the near call contact a as

distinctive sound in our forests. Their call is a soft ‘oo’. soft a is call Their forests. our in sound distinctive

usually calls, chirp short give do females although

tweeta-tweeta-tweeta '. ‘ rapid more or

The noisy beat of their wings is a a is wings their of beat noisy The

characteristic long trilled song. Only males sing, sing, males Only song. trilled long characteristic Fantails are quite vocal with either a single ‘cheet’ call, call, ‘cheet’ single a either with vocal quite are Fantails

Grey warblers have a a have warblers Grey

Photo: Herb Christophers Herb Photo:

to beak, and weigh about 650 g. about weigh and beak, to

Photo: Ormond Torr Ormond Photo:

pigeon/kererū. pigeon/kererū. Wypych Bartek Photo:

on their tails. their on

pīwakawaka calling. calling. pīwakawaka

tail from 51 cm to up measure New Zealand wood wood Zealand New warbler/riroriro. grey Adult

and under-tail. under-tail. and bands black and white with North Island adult fantail/ adult Island North

head and a white vest. Kererū Kererū vest. white a and head

breast and an off-white belly belly off-white an and breast grey-brown are birds pied

and bronze feathers on its its on feathers bronze and

grey on the face, throat and and throat face, the on grey The black. or pied forms,

bird with iridescent green green iridescent with bird

grey-brown bird with pale pale with bird grey-brown colour two have They tail.

The kererū is a large large a is kererū The

relatively inconspicuous inconspicuous relatively fan- their by recognized

The grey warbler is a a is warbler grey The easily are Fantails

Endemic, Not Threatened Not Endemic,

Endemic, Not Threatened Not Endemic, Threatened Not Endemic,

novaeseelandiae

Hemiphaga Hemiphaga igata Gerygone fuliginosa Rhipidura

pigeon/kererū Wood warbler/riroriro Grey Fantail/pīwakawaka

Bellbird/korimako Silvereye/tauhou Common Anthornis melanura Zosterops lateralis birds of the Endemic, Not Threatened Native, Not Threatened

Bellbirds are olive green, The silvereye (waxeye, Marlborough with a purplish head. white-eye) is a small Females have duller olive green bird, with a Sounds plumage than males. white ring around its eye. Males have slightly brighter plumage than females. Their song resembles the Adult male bellbird/korimako. Adult silvereye/tauhou. chiming of bells. The alarm Photo: Craig McKenzie Photo: Tony Whitehead call is a series of loud, rapidly Silvereye have a range of clear, repeated, harsh staccato notes. high-pitched and melodious calls including warbles and trills, often repeated. The main contact Bellbirds are endemic to New Zealand, and occur is a plaintive creee, and the flight call a shorter cli-cli, throughout the country from the coast to about 1200 with many birds calling at once. Full song is a quiet, metres. They live in forest and scrub habitats. They long warble. can be spotted in urban areas, especially if there is bush nearby. The silvereye has a wide distribution throughout New Zealand. They can be found from sea level to Bellbirds eat nectar, fruit and insects. They are above the treeline but they are not abundant in deep important pollinators of many native plant species, forest or open grassland. such as mistletoe, fuchsia and kōwhai. Silvereyes mainly eat insects, fruit and nectar. They Bellbirds breed from September through to February. have a fine tapered bill and a brush- tipped tongue for They prefer to nest in trees with dense foliage for reaching nectar. They are often seen feeding in flocks. cover. Bellbirds mate with the same partner each year and maintain the same breeding territory. The female Silvereye were self-introduced in the 1830s and are makes the nest, lays 3–5 eggs, and incubates the now among the most common bird in suburbia. Its clutch. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge Māori name, tauhou, means ‘stranger’ or more literally, after 14 days. A pair can raise two broods in a season. ‘new arrival’.

Just as people from different parts of New Zealand Seen it! Published by: can have noticeably regional accents, bellbirds also Department of Conservation sing with regional ‘dialects’. Bellbird songs vary Waitohi/Picton Office enormously from one place to another, even over PO Box 161, Picton 7250 New Zealand This material was largely short distances. November 2014 obtained, with permission, from New Zealand Birds Online Editing and design: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz Publishing Team, DOC National Office Cover photo: Sacred kingfisher. This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable and legally logged forests. Photo: Bartek Wypych Seen it!

Seen it! Seen Seen it! Seen it! Seen

alone by the grey warbler. grey the by alone times per day! per times

warbler eggs and nestlings from the nest and is raised raised is and nest the from nestlings and eggs warbler

Young are fed about every 10 minutes – about 100 100 about – minutes 10 every about fed are Young

an egg in another nearby. another in egg an

her egg. After hatching, the cuckoo chick ejects all grey grey all ejects chick cuckoo the hatching, After egg. her

will have a large chick in one nest and be incubating incubating be and nest one in chick large a have will

single egg from the grey warbler nest, replacing it with with it replacing nest, warbler grey the from egg single role of feeding the previous brood. previous the feeding of role

When enough fruit is available, some pairs of kererū kererū of pairs some available, is fruit enough When

shining cuckoo. The female shining cuckoo removes a a removes cuckoo shining female The cuckoo. shining starts building the next nest, the male takes over the the over takes male the nest, next the building starts

Grey warblers are the only mainland host for the the for host mainland only the are warblers Grey

Both adults feed the young, but as soon as the female female the as soon as but young, the feed adults Both

the walls of the parents' crops, mixed with fruit pulp. pulp. fruit with mixed crops, parents' the of walls the

about 14 days and the chicks fledge at about 13 days. days. 13 about at fledge chicks the and days 14 about

fed ‘pigeon milk’, a protein-rich milky secretion from from secretion milky protein-rich a milk’, ‘pigeon fed

and early breeding. Both adults incubate eggs for for eggs incubate adults Both breeding. early and Females lay 3–5 eggs per clutch. clutch. per eggs 3–5 lay Females

is It old. days 40 about when nest the leaves chick

success of the species is largely due to their prolific prolific their to due largely is species the of success those in the South Island usually have two broods. broods. two have usually Island South the in those

The after. look parents both which nest, per egg

pairing seldom survives more than one season. The The season. one than more survives seldom pairing Birds in the north raise one brood per season, whereas whereas season, per brood one raise north the in Birds

mainly in spring and early summer producing one one producing summer early and spring in mainly

in pairs all year but high mortality means that the the that means mortality high but year all pairs in the outer branches of the canopy, 2–4 m off the ground. ground. the off m 2–4 canopy, the of branches outer the

As long-lived birds, they breed slowly. They nest nest They slowly. breed they birds, long-lived As

The fantail lifespan is less than 3 years. Fantails stay stay Fantails years. 3 than less is lifespan fantail The The nest is a hanging enclosed dome, usually found in in found usually dome, enclosed hanging a is nest The

Grey warblers usually breed from August to January. January. to August from breed usually warblers Grey

the regeneration of our native forests. native our of regeneration the

disturbing food for them to eat! to them for food disturbing

disappearance of the kererū would be a disaster for for disaster a be would kererū the of disappearance

not because they are friendly, it’s because you are are you because it’s friendly, are they because not

insects and spiders from plants. from spiders and insects

fruit, such as those of karaka, tawa and taraire. The The taraire. and tawa karaka, of those as such fruit,

will hang around people (and other birds), but it’s it’s but birds), other (and people around hang will

Grey warblers are insectivores, often hovering to pick pick to hovering often insectivores, are warblers Grey

disperser with a beak big enough to swallow large large swallow to enough big beak a with disperser

for insects, plucking the insects from the air. They They air. the from insects the plucking insects, for

the extinction of moa, kererū are now the only seed seed only the now are kererū moa, of extinction the

tails to change direction quickly while hunting hunting while quickly direction change to tails

to observe. to Kererū eat berries, leaves, buds and flowers. Since Since flowers. and buds leaves, berries, eat Kererū

beetles and sometimes fruit. Fantails use their broad broad their use Fantails fruit. sometimes and beetles

mid to high levels of the canopy, making them difficult difficult them making canopy, the of levels high to mid

Their main prey are moths, flies, spiders, wasps, wasps, spiders, flies, moths, are prey main Their

urban parks and rural and suburban gardens. suburban and rural and parks urban They are typically found only in woody vegetation, in in vegetation, woody in only found typically are They

of forest types. Providing there is food, they also visit visit also they food, is there Providing types. forest of are trees or shrubs, including rural and urban areas. areas. urban and rural including shrubs, or trees are

harsh. Their range extends from sea level to the snowline. the to level sea from extends range Their harsh.

throughout the country. They inhabit a wide variety variety wide a inhabit They country. the throughout there where everywhere occurs warbler grey The

widespread except where frosts and snow falls are too too are falls snow and frosts where except widespread

Kererū are found in most lowland native forests forests native lowland most in found are Kererū

Fantails are endemic (unique) to New Zealand and are are and Zealand New to (unique) endemic are Fantails

as a contact call near the male. the near call contact a as

distinctive sound in our forests. Their call is a soft ‘oo’. soft a is call Their forests. our in sound distinctive

although females do give short chirp calls, usually usually calls, chirp short give do females although

tweeta-tweeta-tweeta '. ‘ rapid more or

The noisy beat of their wings is a a is wings their of beat noisy The

characteristic long trilled song. Only males sing, sing, males Only song. trilled long characteristic Fantails are quite vocal with either a single ‘cheet’ call, call, ‘cheet’ single a either with vocal quite are Fantails

Grey warblers have a a have warblers Grey

Photo: Herb Christophers Herb Photo:

to beak, and weigh about 650 g. about weigh and beak, to

Photo: Ormond Torr Ormond Photo:

Photo: Bartek Wypych Bartek Photo: pigeon/kererū. pigeon/kererū.

on their tails. their on

pīwakawaka calling. calling. pīwakawaka

measure up to 51 cm from tail tail from 51 cm to up measure

Adult grey warbler/riroriro. warbler/riroriro. grey Adult New Zealand wood wood Zealand New

and under-tail. under-tail. and bands black and white with North Island adult fantail/ adult Island North

head and a white vest. Kererū Kererū vest. white a and head

grey-brown are birds pied breast and an off-white belly belly off-white an and breast

and bronze feathers on its its on feathers bronze and

forms, pied or black. The The black. or pied forms, grey on the face, throat and and throat face, the on grey

bird with iridescent green green iridescent with bird

tail. They have two colour colour two have They tail. grey-brown bird with pale pale with bird grey-brown

The kererū is a large large a is kererū The

recognized by their fan- their by recognized relatively inconspicuous inconspicuous relatively

Fantails are easily easily are Fantails The grey warbler is a a is warbler grey The

Endemic, Not Threatened Not Endemic,

Endemic, Not Threatened Not Endemic, Endemic, Not Threatened Not Endemic,

novaeseelandiae

Gerygone igata Gerygone fuliginosa Rhipidura Hemiphaga Hemiphaga

Grey warbler/riroriro warbler/riroriro Grey Fantail/pīwakawaka

Wood pigeon/kererū pigeon/kererū Wood

Bellbird/korimako Silvereye/tauhou Common Anthornis melanura Zosterops lateralis birds of the Endemic, Not Threatened Native, Not Threatened

Bellbirds are olive green, The silvereye (waxeye, Marlborough with a purplish head. white-eye) is a small Females have duller olive green bird, with a Sounds plumage than males. white ring around its eye. Males have slightly brighter plumage than females. Their song resembles the Adult male bellbird/korimako. Adult silvereye/tauhou. chiming of bells. The alarm Photo: Craig McKenzie Photo: Tony Whitehead call is a series of loud, rapidly Silvereye have a range of clear, repeated, harsh staccato notes. high-pitched and melodious calls including warbles and trills, often repeated. The main contact Bellbirds are endemic to New Zealand, and occur is a plaintive creee, and the flight call a shorter cli-cli, throughout the country from the coast to about 1200 with many birds calling at once. Full song is a quiet, metres. They live in forest and scrub habitats. They long warble. can be spotted in urban areas, especially if there is bush nearby. The silvereye has a wide distribution throughout New Zealand. They can be found from sea level to Bellbirds eat nectar, fruit and insects. They are above the treeline but they are not abundant in deep important pollinators of many native plant species, forest or open grassland. such as mistletoe, fuchsia and kōwhai. Silvereyes mainly eat insects, fruit and nectar. They Bellbirds breed from September through to February. have a fine tapered bill and a brush- tipped tongue for They prefer to nest in trees with dense foliage for reaching nectar. They are often seen feeding in flocks. cover. Bellbirds mate with the same partner each year and maintain the same breeding territory. The female Silvereye were self-introduced in the 1830s and are makes the nest, lays 3–5 eggs, and incubates the now among the most common bird in suburbia. Its clutch. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge Māori name, tauhou, means ‘stranger’ or more literally, after 14 days. A pair can raise two broods in a season. ‘new arrival’.

Just as people from different parts of New Zealand Seen it! Published by: can have noticeably regional accents, bellbirds also Department of Conservation sing with regional ‘dialects’. Bellbird songs vary Waitohi/Picton Office enormously from one place to another, even over PO Box 161, Picton 7250 New Zealand This material was largely short distances. November 2014 obtained, with permission, from New Zealand Birds Online Editing and design: www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz Publishing Team, DOC National Office Cover photo: Sacred kingfisher. This publication is produced using paper sourced from well-managed, renewable and legally logged forests. Photo: Bartek Wypych Seen it! Tūī Western weka Sacred kingfisher/kōtare Prosthemadera Gallirallus australis Todiramphus sanctus novaeseelandiae australis Native, Not Threatened Endemic, Not Threatened Endemic, At Risk—Declining The kingfisher is a distinctive bird with a Tūī appear black from a The weka is a large, green-blue back, buff to distance but are actually brown flightless bird yellow undersides and metallic blue-green. They with a short, sharp bill. a large black bill. It has a have a distinctive white tuft Adult western weka. broad black eye-stripe, and a under their throat. Adult tūī in kōwhai. The weka’s best known call is Sacred kingfisher. Photo: James Mortimer white collar in adults. The females Photo: Craig McKenzie a repetitive, loud ‘coo-et’ that is Photo: Bartek Wypych are slightly greener and duller. Their call is similar to usually heard at dusk. It is presented as a duet, with the bellbirds but combines the bell-like notes with harsh male giving the lower and slower part. clicks, barks, cackles and wheezes. Kingfishers have a wide range of unmusical calls, the There are four sub-species of weka: North Island, most distinctive of which is the staccato ‘kek-kek-kek’ territorial call. Tūī are widespread and locally abundant in forested Stewart Island, buff and the western weka, the most areas around the country but rarer in the drier, largely common sub-species. Weka occupy a range of habitats open country east of the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o from forests, subalpine grassland, and sand dunes to Kingfishers are found throughout the country in both te Moana. Tūī are found in native forest, scrub, exotic rocky shores, and modified semi-urban areas. coastal and inland freshwater habitats. They live in a forests, suburban parks and gardens. wide range of habitats, including forest, river margins, Weka mainly eat invertebrates and fruit, and occasionally farmland, lakes, estuaries and rocky coastlines. Tūī feed mainly on nectar from flowers of native eat lizards, rodents, food scraps, carrion, and the eggs and plants such as kōwhai, kahikatea, rātā and flax. young of other ground-nesting birds. They will also take Their diet in estuarine mudflats is mainly small crabs, Occasionally they will eat insects. Tūī are important inedible items to the nearest cover to investigate them. It with a range of tadpoles, freshwater crayfish and small pollinators of many native trees and will fly large is best not to chase weka but to simply watch where they fish in freshwater habitats. In open country they eat distances, especially during winter, for their favourite go and retrieve the objects later. insects, spiders, lizards, mice and small birds. foods. Tūī are quite aggressive, and will chase other Weka usually breed once a year. Where the populations tūī and other species away from good food sources. Nest sites are in cavities in trees, cliffs and banks with are territorial they mate for life but not when there is breeding from September to February. After leaving less need for males to defend a territory. Courtship takes place between September and the nest chicks are fed by both parents for 7–10 days October when they sing high up in the trees in the before they start to catch food for themselves. early morning and late afternoon. Females build nests Buff weka were once common on the eastern South and incubate the 2–4 eggs. Incubation and brooding Island but became extinct there in the 1920s. However, Kingfishers appear to have high fidelity to breeding is by the female only. Chicks are initially fed by the they were introduced to Chatham and Pitt islands sites. The same burrow has been reported in use for 20 female, later assisted by the male. in 1905, where they are considered a pest, so many Chatham Islanders hunt them for the dinner table consecutive years, but it is not known how many birds were involved. These clever birds mimic sounds such as the call of (that is illegal here!). the bellbird and in urban areas sometimes telephones!

Seen it! Seen it! Seen it!

Variable oystercatcher/tōrea Little penguin/kororā Spotted shag/parekareka Haematopus unicolor Eudyptula minor Stictocarbo punctatus

Endemic, Recovering Native, Declining Endemic, Not Threatened

The variable oystercatcher The little penguin (also The spotted shag is a is a large heavily-built called little blue penguin) medium-sized, grey-blue shorebird. Adults have black is New Zealand’s smallest marine shag with a long, upperparts, their underparts penguin. It is medium-blue slender bill and yellow- orange feet. Adult breeding vary from all black, through a to dark indigo-blue, and has birds have small black spots on range of ‘smudgy’ intermediate white underparts. Black colour Little penguin/kororā. their back and wings. A distinctive Adult spotted shag in states to white. Pied morph birds can morph, variable Photo: Colin Miskelly curved broad white stripe runs from breeding plumage. be confused with the South Island oystercatcher feeding. The main call at nesting sites is a above the eye down both sides of the Photo: Ormond Torr Photo: Ormond Torr pied oystercatcher. They have a loud bray ending in an inhalant squeal; also deep growls. neck. They have a black crest on the conspicuous long bright orange bill A contact ’bark’ is given at sea. front and back of the head. Bare facial skin between the (longer in females), and stout coral-pink legs. The iris is red eye and bill turns green-blue before the breeding season. and the eye-ring orange. Little penguins are widely distributed along the coastlines of the North and South Islands, Stewart Island/Rakiura, They make loud grunts at resting, roosting and nesting Variable oystercatchers are very vocal; loud piping is used in and Chatham Islands and their offshore islands. areas, but are otherwise silent. territorial interactions and when alarmed. Chicks are warned of danger with a sharp, loud ‘chip’ or ‘click’. Spotted shags occur mainly around the South Island During the breeding season little penguins forage within in coastal waters out to 16 km, entering inlets and Variable oystercatchers occur around most of the coastline 20 km of the colony, pursuit diving for prey generally estuaries to feed and roost. The Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand. They breed most commonly on sandy in waters less than 50 m deep. Their diet is composed is a stronghold for the species. beaches, sandspits and in dunes. of varying proportions of small shoaling fish, squid and crustacean species. Spotted shag diet consists of small fish and marine Variable oystercatchers eat a wide range of coastal invertebrates, including squid and plankton. They invertebrates, including molluscs and crustaceans which feed in deep water up to 16 km offshore. they open either by pushing the tip of the bill between Little penguins can breed as isolated pairs, in colonies, shells and twisting, or by hammering. They occasionally or semi-colonially. Nests are situated close to the sea in Spotted shags breed in colonies of a few pairs to 700 eat small fish and a range of terrestrial invertebrates, burrows excavated by the birds or other species, or in pairs. Timing varies year to year, depending on food including earthworms. caves, rock crevices, under logs or in or under a variety availability. Spotted shags are monogamous; 3–4 pale of man-made structures. They are monogamous within a blue eggs are laid in a large nest platform made of sticks Variable oystercatchers breed in monogamous pairs and breeding season, and share incubation and chick-rearing and vegetation, built on coastal cliff ledges and stacks. defend territories vigorously against neighbours. Nests are duties. Incubation of 1–2 eggs takes up to 36 days. Chicks Incubation and chick-rearing are shared. Young leave normally simple scrapes in the sand and the 2–3 eggs are laid are brooded for 18–38 days, and fledge after 7–8 weeks. the nest at 62 days. from October onwards. Incubation is shared and takes about 28 days. Chicks fly at 6–7 weeks old and late chicks may not Spotted shags often have a mass of small stones (‘rangle’) When returning to nesting areas at dusk, they congregate in fledge until March. Chicks are vigorously protected by both in their gizzards, but the reason for this is unknown. The small groups, or ‘rafts’ offshore. Rafts usually come ashore parents, often well after fledging. Adults show high fidelity possibilities include: to function as ballast, to grind up food, to their mate and the site. together and comprise the same individuals each night. or to create an inhospitable environment for gut parasites. The proportion of all-black birds increases as you head south.

Seen it! Seen it! Seen it! Tūī Western weka Sacred kingfisher/kōtare Prosthemadera Gallirallus australis Todiramphus sanctus novaeseelandiae australis Native, Not Threatened Endemic, Not Threatened Endemic, At Risk—Declining The kingfisher is a distinctive bird with a Tūī appear black from a The weka is a large, green-blue back, buff to distance but are actually brown flightless bird yellow undersides and metallic blue-green. They with a short, sharp bill. a large black bill. It has a have a distinctive white tuft Adult western weka. broad black eye-stripe, and a under their throat. Adult tūī in kōwhai. The weka’s best known call is Sacred kingfisher. Photo: James Mortimer white collar in adults. The females Photo: Craig McKenzie a repetitive, loud ‘coo-et’ that is Photo: Bartek Wypych are slightly greener and duller. Their call is similar to usually heard at dusk. It is presented as a duet, with the bellbirds but combines the bell-like notes with harsh male giving the lower and slower part. clicks, barks, cackles and wheezes. Kingfishers have a wide range of unmusical calls, the There are four sub-species of weka: North Island, most distinctive of which is the staccato ‘kek-kek-kek’ territorial call. Tūī are widespread and locally abundant in forested Stewart Island, buff and the western weka, the most areas around the country but rarer in the drier, largely common sub-species. Weka occupy a range of habitats open country east of the Southern Alps/Kā Tiritiri o from forests, subalpine grassland, and sand dunes to Kingfishers are found throughout the country in both te Moana. Tūī are found in native forest, scrub, exotic rocky shores, and modified semi-urban areas. coastal and inland freshwater habitats. They live in a forests, suburban parks and gardens. wide range of habitats, including forest, river margins, Weka mainly eat invertebrates and fruit, and occasionally farmland, lakes, estuaries and rocky coastlines. Tūī feed mainly on nectar from flowers of native eat lizards, rodents, food scraps, carrion, and the eggs and plants such as kōwhai, kahikatea, rātā and flax. young of other ground-nesting birds. They will also take Their diet in estuarine mudflats is mainly small crabs, Occasionally they will eat insects. Tūī are important inedible items to the nearest cover to investigate them. It with a range of tadpoles, freshwater crayfish and small pollinators of many native trees and will fly large is best not to chase weka but to simply watch where they fish in freshwater habitats. In open country they eat distances, especially during winter, for their favourite go and retrieve the objects later. insects, spiders, lizards, mice and small birds. foods. Tūī are quite aggressive, and will chase other Weka usually breed once a year. Where the populations tūī and other species away from good food sources. Nest sites are in cavities in trees, cliffs and banks with are territorial they mate for life but not when there is breeding from September to February. After leaving less need for males to defend a territory. Courtship takes place between September and the nest chicks are fed by both parents for 7–10 days October when they sing high up in the trees in the before they start to catch food for themselves. early morning and late afternoon. Females build nests Buff weka were once common on the eastern South and incubate the 2–4 eggs. Incubation and brooding Island but became extinct there in the 1920s. However, Kingfishers appear to have high fidelity to breeding is by the female only. Chicks are initially fed by the they were introduced to Chatham and Pitt islands sites. The same burrow has been reported in use for 20 female, later assisted by the male. in 1905, where they are considered a pest, so many Chatham Islanders hunt them for the dinner table consecutive years, but it is not known how many birds were involved. These clever birds mimic sounds such as the call of (that is illegal here!). the bellbird and in urban areas sometimes telephones!

Seen it! Seen it! Seen it!

Variable oystercatcher/tōrea Little penguin/kororā Spotted shag/parekareka Haematopus unicolor Eudyptula minor Stictocarbo punctatus

Endemic, Recovering Native, Declining Endemic, Not Threatened

The variable oystercatcher The little penguin (also The spotted shag is a is a large heavily-built called little blue penguin) medium-sized, grey-blue shorebird. Adults have black is New Zealand’s smallest marine shag with a long, upperparts, their underparts penguin. It is medium-blue slender bill and yellow- orange feet. Adult breeding vary from all black, through a to dark indigo-blue, and has birds have small black spots on range of ‘smudgy’ intermediate white underparts. Black colour Little penguin/kororā. their back and wings. A distinctive Adult spotted shag in states to white. Pied morph birds can morph, variable Photo: Colin Miskelly curved broad white stripe runs from breeding plumage. be confused with the South Island oystercatcher feeding. The main call at nesting sites is a above the eye down both sides of the Photo: Ormond Torr Photo: Ormond Torr pied oystercatcher. They have a loud bray ending in an inhalant squeal; also deep growls. neck. They have a black crest on the conspicuous long bright orange bill A contact ’bark’ is given at sea. front and back of the head. Bare facial skin between the (longer in females), and stout coral-pink legs. The iris is red eye and bill turns green-blue before the breeding season. and the eye-ring orange. Little penguins are widely distributed along the coastlines of the North and South Islands, Stewart Island/Rakiura, They make loud grunts at resting, roosting and nesting Variable oystercatchers are very vocal; loud piping is used in and Chatham Islands and their offshore islands. areas, but are otherwise silent. territorial interactions and when alarmed. Chicks are warned of danger with a sharp, loud ‘chip’ or ‘click’. Spotted shags occur mainly around the South Island During the breeding season little penguins forage within in coastal waters out to 16 km, entering inlets and Variable oystercatchers occur around most of the coastline 20 km of the colony, pursuit diving for prey generally estuaries to feed and roost. The Marlborough Sounds of New Zealand. They breed most commonly on sandy in waters less than 50 m deep. Their diet is composed is a stronghold for the species. beaches, sandspits and in dunes. of varying proportions of small shoaling fish, squid and crustacean species. Spotted shag diet consists of small fish and marine Variable oystercatchers eat a wide range of coastal invertebrates, including squid and plankton. They invertebrates, including molluscs and crustaceans which feed in deep water up to 16 km offshore. they open either by pushing the tip of the bill between Little penguins can breed as isolated pairs, in colonies, shells and twisting, or by hammering. They occasionally or semi-colonially. Nests are situated close to the sea in Spotted shags breed in colonies of a few pairs to 700 eat small fish and a range of terrestrial invertebrates, burrows excavated by the birds or other species, or in pairs. Timing varies year to year, depending on food including earthworms. caves, rock crevices, under logs or in or under a variety availability. Spotted shags are monogamous; 3–4 pale of man-made structures. They are monogamous within a blue eggs are laid in a large nest platform made of sticks Variable oystercatchers breed in monogamous pairs and breeding season, and share incubation and chick-rearing and vegetation, built on coastal cliff ledges and stacks. defend territories vigorously against neighbours. Nests are duties. Incubation of 1–2 eggs takes up to 36 days. Chicks Incubation and chick-rearing are shared. Young leave normally simple scrapes in the sand and the 2–3 eggs are laid are brooded for 18–38 days, and fledge after 7–8 weeks. the nest at 62 days. from October onwards. Incubation is shared and takes about 28 days. Chicks fly at 6–7 weeks old and late chicks may not Spotted shags often have a mass of small stones (‘rangle’) When returning to nesting areas at dusk, they congregate in fledge until March. Chicks are vigorously protected by both in their gizzards, but the reason for this is unknown. The small groups, or ‘rafts’ offshore. Rafts usually come ashore parents, often well after fledging. Adults show high fidelity possibilities include: to function as ballast, to grind up food, to their mate and the site. together and comprise the same individuals each night. or to create an inhospitable environment for gut parasites. The proportion of all-black birds increases as you head south.

Seen it! Seen it! Seen it!