Birds Category

Recent news, insights & articles from around the Island.

Why no kiwi, Mr Shakespear?

by Dick Veitch  Images credited to Frances Shakespear from the Shakespear family collection. I have just finished reading 19 diaries written between 1897 and 1910 by members of the Shakespear…

Secrets of the New Zealand Storm Petrel

The New Zealand storm petrel (NZSP) was thought extinct for a century until its rediscovery at sea in the Hauraki Gulf in 2003. After much detective work, in 2012 a…

Hauturu’s Magic Birds

By Michael Szabo I’ve aspired to visit Te Hauturu-o-Toi since reading, three decades ago, that plans to transfer huia to the island failed to eventuate after the last pair captured…

Hihi: Ray of Light

By Anna Santure The hihi (Notiomystis cincta) is a threatened passerine (perching) bird endemic to Aotearoa, whose closest relatives are the tīeke/ saddleback, kōkako and extinct huia. In contrast to…