Birds of New Zealand by Tica and Ian

Weka, Golden Bay, South Island, NZ (Photo by Ian)

Here is a list of the birds we saw or heard in New Zealand. The original spreadsheet also includes the scientific names as well as whether the birds are endemic, native or introduced.

There was not enough room to include these items however. -- Tica and Ian

Common Name	Notes
Australasian Gannett	yellow head and black at the tip of wings, big breeding colony at Muriwai Bay, we went but they had already flown north toward better weather, saw one in Abel Tasman National Park (South Island) and Otamure Beach on the North Island
Australasian Harrier	very common, often seen dining on road kill on the side of the road or surveying fields near the road
Australian Magpie	many spotted in fields on the side of the road
Australian Pied Cormorant	not very common
Bellbird	call similar to a Tui but without the grunts and clicks
Black billed gull	very common
Black Fronted Tern	rare
Black-backed Gull	very common
Blackbird	New Zealand's most common bird
Brown Kiwi	New Zealand's national bird, looks as though it has as a very long bill, but it has the shortest in the world because scientists measure from a bird's beach from the nostrils; kiwi nostrils are located at the end of the beak so they can rifle through leaves for grubs and things
California Quail	seen at many different camps on the North Island
Caspian Tern	less common
Chaffinch	very common
Dunnock (Hedge Sparrow)	very common
Eastern Rosella	seen on the North Island in Shakespear Regional Park and in the central North Island, usually seen in pairs
European Goldfinch	The most colorful bird in New Zealand; frequently seen in flocks
Fantail	flits around like a butterfly; very friendl;. sometimes lands on people
Fernbird	seen on Tiritiri Mitangi island
Greenfinch	we only saw three
Grey Teal	endangered, looks like a female mallard
Grey Warbler
House Sparrow	very common in cities and campgrounds
Kea	cheeky mountain parrot
Kingfisher	mostly on the side of the road near bodies of water and at the beach, don't make noise as much as kingfishers at home
Kokako	very rare only seen on the North Island
Little Blue Penguin	world's smallest penguin
Little Pied Shag	aka cormorant, very common
Morepork	owl species that is often heard but seldom seen
Myna	only seen on the North Island as they find the South Island to be too cold
New Zealand Dotterel	uncommon shore bird, we saw some at Matapuri Bay, North Island
New Zealand Falcon	uncommon
New Zealand Pigeon	wood pigeon, much bigger than city pigeons, lives in forests, fast whirring wing beats like a city pigeon
New Zealand Pipit	we only saw one
New Zealand Robin	very small and black with long legs
Paradise Shellduck	very common, most often seen in pairs, female has white head while drake has black head
Pied Stilt	very common
Pukeko	common in fields along the side of roads, especially damp ones, talk with their tails
Red Billed gull	very common
Red crowned parakeet	extinct on the main islands of New Zealand, found in bird sanctuaries like Tiritiri Matangi
Rifleman	Seen at Arthur's Pass National Park
Ringed-Necked Pheasant	rather commonly seen in fields
Rock Pigeon (City Pigeon)	found mostly in citys
Rook	only found on the North Island and only in places on the South Island, look a lot like a crow only bigger
Royal Albatross	very large with impressive wingspan, seen on the tip of the Otago Peninsula near Dunedin and at Nugget Point on the east coast, South Island
Saddleback	rare
Silvereye	very common
Skylark	very common
Song Thrush	seen at almost all camps on the North Island
Southern Crested Grebe	Very rare, only 45 left in the world, seen in just outside of Arthur's Pass NP, South Island
Spur-Winged Plover	seen most often on the side of the road, feeding in fields
Starling	second most common bird in New Zealand (behind the blackbird)
Stitchbird	rare
Tomtit	sometimes mistaken for a stichbird
Tui	song includes grunts and clicks and high piched peeps
Variable Oystercatcher	very common
Weka	Odd looking bird, sort of like a cross between a kiwi and a duck, seen around campgrounds on the South Island
Welcome Swallow	Flies very fast to catch sand flies
White Head	not common
White-faced Heron	common around bodies of water
White-Fronted Tern	less common
Yellow-Eyed Penguin	One world's rarest penguin
Yellowhammer	in mountains