New Zealand was an island free of land mammals before us pesky humans arrived.
In turn, this means a few unusual species of animals and birds evolved that that are
endemic to New Zealand.
When talking about the birds of New Zealand, most of us would be thinking of kiwis, but
there are so many more amazing birds that are native to this country.
Here, let's take a look at 10 of the amazing birds that can be found in New Zealand.
Number 10.
With a wide distribution in the archipelago, ranging from the subtropical Kermadec Islands
to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, as well as the main islands, the tui is one
of the largest species in the diverse Australasian honeyeater family.
At first glance the bird appears completely black except for a small tuft of white feathers
at its neck and a small white wing patch, causing it to resemble a parson in clerical
attire.
On closer inspection, it can be seen that tui have brown feathers on the back and flanks,
a multicoloured iridescent sheen that varies with the angle from which the light strikes
them, and a dusting of small, white-shafted feathers
on the back and sides of the neck that produce a lacy collar.
Male tui can be extremely aggressive, chasing all other birds from their territory with
loud flapping and sounds akin to rude human speech.
Number 9.
The kererū or New Zealand pigeon is the only pigeon endemic to the New Zealand mainland.
A large conspicuous pigeon with distinctive noisy wingbeats, it is the only remaining
New Zealand bird capable of swallowing large fruit, and so is an important seed disperser
for native trees.
Kererū were a significant food source for Māori and one of the two foods harvested
at the New Year.
Although widespread in both forest and urban habitats, their numbers have declined significantly
since European colonisation and the arrival of rats and possums, and hunting them is now
illegal.
The kererū also plays a part in Māori mythology and lore, and has associations with the hero
and trickster Māui.
In one such tradition, Māui took the form of a kererū when he went down into the underworld
in search of his parents.
When Māui transformed into the kererū, he was carrying the apron and belt of his mother,
Tāranga.
The apron, Te Taro o Tāranga, is represented by the white breast feathers, while the belt,
Te Tātua a Tāranga, is signified by the green-blue feathers on the neck of the kererū.
Number 8.
Endemic to the islands of New Zealand, the tomtit was once thought to have been descended
from the scarlet robin, although more recent research has questioned this.
It seems likely that there were two colonisation events, with the North Island robin and the
South Island robin descended from one event, and the black robin and tomtit from another.
The island subspecies of tomtits show a striking variation in body size, being considerably
larger than their mainland relatives, a tendency known as the Foster's rule or the island effect,
where the size of a species depends on the resources available in the environment.
Birds from the main islands weigh around 11g, compared with birds from Snares Island, which
weigh in at 20 g.
The tomtit is mostly an insectivore, feeding on small invertebrates,but, fruit is taken
during the winter and autumn.
Number 7.
Also known as the New Zealand wrens, the rifleman resembles a wren in form, but is not related
to the family of true wrens.
It is New Zealand's smallest endemic bird, with fully grown adults reaching around 7
to 9 cm (2.8–3.5 in) in length.
The rifleman has a range of simple high-pitched calls, the most commonly used call being a
squeaky and repetitive zipt.
At least part of calls of the rifleman falls in the ultrasonic range of frequencies, although
it is unknown what function this serves or even if riflemen are able to hear sounds at
these frequencies.
Number 6.
Found in the forested and alpine regions of the South Island of New Zealand, the kea is
the world's only alpine parrot.
Now uncommon, the kea was once killed for bounty due to concerns by the sheep-farming
community that it attacked livestock, especially sheep.
In 1986, it received full protection under the Wildlife Act.
The kea's notorious urge to explore and manipulate makes this bird both a pest for residents
and an attraction for tourists.
Called "the clown of the mountains", it will investigate backpacks, boots, skis, snowboards,
and even cars, often causing damage or flying off with smaller items.
Kea have been kept as pets before being protected, but rarely, since they were difficult to capture
and destructive when in captivity.
Number 5.
The kakapo, also called owl parrot, is a species of large, flightless, nocturnal, ground-dwelling
parrot.
Its anatomy typifies the tendency of bird evolution on oceanic islands, with few predators
and abundant food: a generally robust physique at the expense of flight abilities,
resulting in reduced wing muscles and a diminished keel on the sternum.
The beak of the kakapo is adapted for grinding food finely.
For this reason, the kakapo has a very small gizzard compared to other birds of their size.
Like many other New Zealand bird species, the kakapo was historically important to Māori,
appearing in many of their traditional legends and folklore;
however it was also heavily hunted and used as a resource by Māori, both for its meat
as a food source and for its feathers, which were used to make highly valued pieces of
clothing.
Kakapo were also occasionally kept as pets.
Number 4.
The New Zealand bellbird, also known by its Māori names korimako and makomako, forms
a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song that was much noted
by early European settlers.
The explorer Captain Cook wrote of its song "it seemed to be like small bells most exquisitely
tuned".
This bird is found throughout both the main islands of New Zealand apart from the north
of the North Island.
Its population and distribution had been seriously affected by the introduction of European-style
farming, which has led to the removal of native forests.
Another important factor is the introduction of predatory species that either eat the birds
or consume eggs, while food robbers compete with the bellbird for its natural food sources
of nectar, honeydew and insects.
The decline occurred around the same time as that of many other New Zealand species,
but for unknown reasons was reversed and the species is still common across much of New
Zealand.
Number 3.
Previously widespread, kōkako populations throughout New Zealand have been decimated
by the predations of mammalian invasive species, and their range has contracted significantly.
In the past this bird was called the New Zealand crow; however, it is not a crow at all, but
it looks like one from a distance.
This bird has a beautiful, clear, organ-like song that can carry for kilometres.
The kōkako does not fly so much as glide and when seen exhibiting this behaviour they
will generally scramble up tall trees before gliding to others nearby.
Māori myth refers to the kōkako in several stories.
In one notable story, a kōkako gave Māui water as he fought the sun by filling its
plump wattles with water and offering it to Māui to quench his thirst.
Māui rewarded kōkako for its kindness by stretching its legs until they were lean,
long and strong, so that kōkako could easily leap through the forest to find food.
Number 2.
The takahē, also known as the South Island takahē or notornis, was first encountered
by Europeans in 1847, where only four specimens were collected in the 19th century.
After the final bird was captured in 1898, and no more were to be found, the species
was presumed extinct.
Fifty years later, however, after a carefully planned search, takahē were dramatically
rediscovered in 1948.
The takahē is a sedentary and flightless bird currently found in alpine grasslands
habitats.
It is territorial and remains in the grassland until the arrival of snow, when it descends
to the forest or scrub.
Recently, human intervention has been required to maintain the breeding success of the takahē,
which is relatively low in the wild compared to other, less threatened species.
One of the original long-term goals was to establish a self-sustaining population of
well over 500 takahē.
As of 2019, the estimated population was aronud 418.
Number 1.
The New Zealand fantail is a small insectivorous bird, the only species of fantail in New Zealand.
The species has been considered by many to be conspecific as the grey fantail of Australia
and New Caledonia; however, due to significant differences in its calls, many authorities
now treat it as a separate species.
During waking hours the bird is almost never still.
It flits from perch to perch, sometimes on the ground but mostly on the twigs of a tree
or any other convenient object, looking out for flying insects.
The birds are not shy, and will often flit within a few metres of people, especially
in forested areas and suburban gardens.
In doing so, it is able to catch any small flying insects that may have been disturbed
by human activities such as walking or digging.
In Maori mythology, the New Zealand fantail is a messenger, bringing death or news of
death from the gods to the people.
The bulbous eyes and erratic flying behaviour of the bird is attributed to it being squeezed
by Maui for not revealing the whereabouts of his ancestress Mahuika, the fire deity.