New Zealand’s Native Birds and Where to Look for Them

At Zealandia in Wellington, take an evening walk with a sanctuary guide and listen for movement in the leaf litter. The little spotted kiwi, or kiwi pukupuku, is nocturnal. You might hear a bird before you see one, and a glimpse of a rounded body and long bill may be all the forest gives you. Follow the guide’s lighting instructions.

At Zealandia, look for a chunky, flightless bird grazing near the paths in daylight. A heavy red bill and blue-green plumage help distinguish takahē from the more slender pūkeko. Pay particular attention to how it uses its bill to work through low vegetation.

Try the public areas around Arthur’s Pass in the Southern Alps for this mountain parrot. Its olive feathers can blend into a rock slope, but a kea in flight can flash orange under the wings. Secure food and loose belongings and let the bird approach or leave on its own.

At Zealandia, a harsh call overhead can announce a kākā before you make out the bird in the trees. Compared with a kea, this forest parrot looks browner, with crimson underparts that are easier to see as it moves. Watch the canopy and listen for several calls in succession.

On Tiritiri Matangi, pause near flowering plants or watch from a woodland track. The tūī looks dark at first, then light catches the glossy feathers and the white tufts on its throat. Listen for clear notes mixed with clicks and rasps, which can help you pick its song out of the island chorus.

At Nugget Point on the Otago coast, watch the shore from the Roaring Bay hide in the late afternoon. Look for the pale yellow band through the eyes of an adult hoiho if one comes ashore. Watch from the hide even if the beach looks empty, since a bird can wait offshore while people are present.

At Pukekura, or Taiaroa Head, book a guided Royal Albatross Centre tour for access to the observatory over the breeding colony. Depending on the season, you might see a chick, a nesting adult, or an adult riding the wind. In flight, look for long, narrow wings and a glide that carries the bird a long way between flaps.

Walk the forest tracks on Tiritiri Matangi and stop where you can listen. A kōkako’s slow, clear notes can give it away before you spot its slate-gray body among the branches. If you get a close view, look for the blue wattles below the bill.

On Ulva Island, or Te Wharawhara, look low in the forest as well as up into the branches. An adult tīeke has black plumage, a chestnut saddle across its back, and red wattles. Young South Island birds are mostly brown, so a bird without the saddle can still be part of the same group.

In Ulva Island’s forest, listen for the loud rush of wings and watch where the bird lands. The kererū is a bulky native pigeon with a white chest and head and neck feathers that can shine green in good light. It often sits still on a branch after that noisy arrival.

On Ulva Island, the mohua is a small forest bird to look for in the canopy. A bright yellow head and breast give an adult male away, but leaves can hide it. Stop when small birds move through the branches and watch their next opening in the foliage.

On Ulva Island’s forest paths, look for a small bird making quick turns through gaps in the foliage. The pīwakawaka often spreads its tail as it changes direction or perches. One may pass quite close while chasing insects. Stand still to see the tail fan and the bird’s flight pattern.