Birdlife

New Zealand's most common birds are common in New Zealand but not seen anywhere else in the world. This is due to the country's isolated geological past which has meant it's natural history that has evolved without any intervention from life forms on other continents.

That said, New Zealand is truly a bird-watchers paradise. Not only is it visited by many species of migratory birds but it is also home to many unusual and increasingly rare species.

Kiwi

The most common of the New Zealand birds in all ways except numbers! This well-known symbol of New Zealand is now endangered with a population of only 15,000 birds. The flightless, nocturnal kiwis sleep for 20 hours a day and are only easily found in the wild on Stewart Island. However, many towns have kiwi houses where various species may be seen in artifical darkness. The kiwi houses of Otorohanga and Napier are among the most famous.

Kea

This common New Zealand bird is a large, cheeky and aggressive parrot that is known to attack sheep and plunder food and possessions from unsuspecting tourists. Thought to be the world's only alpine parrot, the kea is seen in the Southern Alps at Arthur's Pass, around Fox and Franz Josef glaciers and in ski areas.

Weka

The most common of New Zealand's flightless birds, the weka is especially abundant in the national parks of the South Island where they are often seen scrounging for food in dustbins and stealing from unattended picnics.

Tui

Known as having the most beautiful singing voice among New Zealand's birds, the tui is very common throughout the country especially around forest areas. It's also renowned as great imitator of other birds with its wide ranging and adaptable voice. Like parrots, tui can also imitate the human voice.

Pukeko

This common New Zealand bird is found in grassland areas around lakes and wetlands the pukeko is commonly seen by the side of roads foraging for food. The pukeko has found its way into the hearts of New Zealanders and images of the pukeko are often seen in art and craft work.

Kakapo

The world's heaviest and only flightless parrot, the once common kakapo now only numbers 125. All live in protected conditions on four carefully chosen islands, which contain no predators. The Kakapo Recovery Plan, which started in 1989, is helping numbers to slowly increase.

Other birds

Amongst many other species of bird are the New Zealand Falcon and takahe which are to be found in highland areas, whilst rivers and lakes are home to the banded dotterel, blue duck, kaki and common pied stilt. Coastal birds include gannets, cormorants, shags, oystercatchers and sooty shearwaters.