Hub
Species
A large share of New Zealand's native birds are found nowhere else in the world. These field cards are a quick start: the te reo Māori name first, the English name in brackets, the habitat, and where you have the best chance of a sighting.
Tūī
(Tūī)
Forest edges, parks and gardens with flowering kōwhai, flax and gums, nationwide.
Look for: white throat tufts and a song full of clicks and wheezes.
Read the field noteKorimako
(bellbird)
Native forest and well-planted gardens; scarce on the Northland and Auckland mainland, common on many offshore islands.
Look for: liquid, bell-like song, often before dawn.
Read the field notePīwakawaka
(fantail)
Almost anywhere with shrubs, from city gardens to bush tracks.
Look for: fanned tail and a habit of following walkers for disturbed insects.
Read the field noteKererū
(New Zealand pigeon)
Forest, parks and gardens with fruiting natives such as pūriri, karaka and miro.
Look for: loud wingbeats and white 'singlet' front.
Read the field noteTakahē
(South Island takahē)
Murchison Mountains (Fiordland) and predator-free islands and sanctuaries such as Tiritiri Matangi and Zealandia.
Look for: large, flightless purple-blue rail with a red bill.
Kōkako
(North Island kōkako)
Managed North Island forests and island sanctuaries such as Tiritiri Matangi.
Look for: blue wattles and a slow, organ-like song.
Hihi
(stitchbird)
Predator-free islands and fenced sanctuaries, including Tiritiri Matangi and Zealandia.
Look for: males black and yellow with white ear tufts; tail often cocked.
Read the field noteTīeke
(saddleback)
Predator-free islands and sanctuaries (North Island and South Island species).
Look for: chestnut saddle across the back; noisy and inquisitive.
Read the field noteKiwi
(kiwi (five species))
Nocturnal; best seen on Rakiura Stewart Island or heard in protected forests. Check DOC before any night walk.
Look for: males give a rising whistle, females a hoarse cry.
Kākā
(kākā (forest parrot))
Large forests, offshore islands, Wellington's Zealandia and nearby suburbs, Rakiura.
Look for: harsh 'kraak' calls and fluting whistles, often at dusk.
Kea
(mountain parrot)
South Island mountains, e.g. Arthur's Pass and the road to Milford Sound. Never feed them.
Look for: olive plumage with orange underwings.
Read the field noteToroa
(albatross)
Pelagic trips off Kaikōura, the Otago Peninsula royal albatross colony, and the subantarctic islands.
Look for: long, stiff wings held straight in dynamic soaring.
Read the field noteHoiho
(yellow-eyed penguin)
Otago and Southland coasts, Rakiura and the subantarctic Auckland and Campbell islands. View only from hides.
Look for: pale yellow eye and headband.
Read the field noteTūturiwhatu
(New Zealand dotterel)
North Island beaches and sandspits; Rakiura has a southern population.
Look for: nests on open sand in spring and summer: keep out of roped areas.
Read the field noteKuaka
(bar-tailed godwit)
Estuaries and harbours, e.g. the Firth of Thames, Kaipara and Manukau, roughly September to March.
Look for: long upturned bill; flies non-stop from Alaska.
Ngutu pare
(wrybill)
Breeds on Canterbury braided rivers; winters on northern harbours such as the Firth of Thames.
Look for: the only bird in the world with a bill bent sideways.