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  • The kea bird is fond of chewing rubber sealing and plastic car parts.
    Kea Bird 45_2361.jpg
  • "What's that?  Speak up please!  I'm the New Zealand Rock Wren, one of New Zealand's tiniest birds which means my ears are tiny!"  This vulnerable species is not much bigger than a ping-pong ball, and New Zealand's only true alpine bird!
    New Zealand Rock Wren 02_3206.jpg
  • The kakariki was the first bird to be reintroduced to Tiritiri Matangi in 1974.  It was the first time in the world that captive-reared birds had been successfully released into the wild.
    Red-crowned Parakeet 21_0429.jpg
  • A spectacular bird's eye view of a gannet colony on the clifftops between Maori Bay and Muriwai Beach.  This Takapu (gannet) Refuge at Otakamiro Point is one of only three mainland gannet colonies in New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 27_7475.jpg
  • Silhouette of a bird of prey (black kite) in flight, displaying its broadly feathered wingspan.
    Black Kite 01_5459.jpg
  • Australasian Gannets are expert fishers. Birds soar 10 m or more above the surface of the water, herding fish into dense shoals, then fold their wings back and dive into the water to catch their prey. The fish are grasped with the aid of small backward-pointing serrations along the edges of the bill. A bird only stays under the water for about ten seconds, but the fish is normally swallowed before the bird reaches the surface.  Here, an Australian Gannet soars above the ocean at Muriwai, New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 32_H7C9187.jpg
  • In one of the many stories about the demigod Māui, the stitchbird (hihi) refused to fetch water for him after he had captured the sun and slowed it down. Māui threw the bird into the fire, burning its feathers. Hihi means rays of the sun, and the bird’s name refers to the male’s yellow breast plumage – a reminder of sun and fire.
    Stitchbird 11_H7C1610.jpg
  • The plumage of the Brown Falcon is highly variable, and is often mistaken for other bird species.  This particular falcon is a Red-breasted Brown Falcon.
    Brown Falcon portrait_3046.jpg
  • Famed for its olive-green plumage, scarlet underwings, keen intelligence and its rare attempts to feed on both dead and live sheep, the unique kea parrot of New Zealand draws attention from bird lovers and conservationists throughout the world.
    Kea 43_3302.jpg
  • Drifwood in the shape of a bird, at Kaikoura, New Zealand.  Indeed, Kaikoura truly is the seabird capital of the world!
    Kaikoura driftwood_8899.jpg
  • Galah, Kangaroo Island, Australia.<br />
<br />
A pair of wild galahs poking their heads out of their home in a hollowed tree branch.  Galahs often tear away the bark around the entrance to their nesting hollows, to impede the climbing ability of monitor lizards, which devour bird eggs.  The definition of "galah" is a 'fool, silly person.'  Appropriately named after the bird of the same name because of its antics and the noise it makes.  For example, galahs have been observed playing in whirlwinds.  They deliberately let themselves be sucked up into the wind tunnel and spiral upwards, only to repeat the process once they are blown out the top.
    Galah, Nesting 01_6997.jpg
  • The Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, at up to 11.5 feet, allowing it to glide for hours without having to beat its wings.  New Zealand.
    Wandering Albatross 33_8528.jpg
  • The peregrine falcon is the true jet fighter of the skies!  As one of the deadliest birds of prey, it is the world's fastest bird.  It swoops down on its panic-stricken prey at speeds of up to 273 miles per hour (440 kilometers per hour)!  It will often use its talons to strike the prey in order to stun it and knock it to the ground.  The peregrine Falcon then picks up its prey off the ground and carries it to a sheltered place to eat.  Main prey include birds that fly in flocks, such as pigeons, parrots, and starlings.  Here is a portrait of a peregrine falcon.
    Peregrine Falcon Portrait 01_3348.jpg
  • American White Pelicans are clowns of the bird world, with their oversized bills and large webbed feet.  Their wingspan is also the second longest of North American birds, second to the condor.
    American White Pelican 16_6045.jpg
  • The Tieke (saddleback) became known to Maori as water bird. The saddleback was mentioned in invocations recited when rain was needed, when calling on Rangi, the sky father, to give assistance through his many offspring who control the weather.<br />
<br />
This particular saddleback's beak has just been half-dipped into a watering trough at Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand.  During the drier summer months, a variety of birds refresh at the watering stations.
    Saddleback 10_4874.jpg
  • The black-breasted buzzard takes a menacing stance to ward off threats.  This buzzard is a medium-sized bird of prey that eats rabbits, ground birds, lizards and carrion.  They glide at speed and snatch food from the ground, from trees, or in the air.  Interestingly, this buzzard will pick up and drop stones onto eggs in order to crack them open!  Its conservation status is listed as vulnerable.
    Black-breasted Buzzard 01_3954.jpg
  • Gannets are closely related to the boobies and occur in southern Africa, southern Australia and New Zealand. The Northern gannet is the largest sea bird of the Atlantic with a wingspan of up to 2m. The Australasian gannet shown in this image, occurs in Victoria, Tasmania and New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 34_9373.jpg
  • The tui is the largest of New Zealand's honeyeaters.  The name is the original Maori name. The English name, Parson Bird, is no longer used, but came about due to the white tuft resembling a parson.
    Tui 66_H7C1808.jpg
  • The bird that Australians probable best relate to is the Laughing Kookaburra; perhaps because of its laughter-like call it seems to have an excellent sense of humor.  What many people do not know is that kookaburras are actually the largest members of the kingfisher family!
    Laughing Kookaburra 01_3241.jpg
  • The New Zealand Wood Pigeon (kereru) is the only surviving bird large enough to eat the fruit of trees such as karaka and taraire.  The NZ pigeon is an essential part of seed distribution in a mature New Zealand forest.<br />
<br />
Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand.
    New Zealand Wood Pigeon 25_H7C0079.jpg
  • Listen for the song of the saddleback – it sounds like the Maori name for the bird – ‘tie-e ke-ke-ke-ke’.
    Saddleback 05_H7C0514.jpg
  • An Australian Pelican prepares to catch a scrap of flying fish. "A wonderful bird is the pelican, his bill will hold more than his belly can!" ~Dixon Merritt.
    Australian Pelican 01_7730.jpg
  • DNA evidence has found that the extinct Dodo belongs to the same bird family as doves and pigeons.  Out of the 25 species of pigeons and doves that are found in Australia, 23 of them are native to Australia.  Depicted in this image is the beautiful Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove.
    Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove_4614.jpg
  • The Dusky Moorhen is found in wetland habitats, and is a bird of the rail family.
    Dusky Moorhen 01_6658.jpg
  • Unlike the other birds of prey that hunt during the day, the owl is active primarily at night.  The Sooty Owl has the largest eyes and roundest wings of all the masked-owls, making it well adapted for seeing in the dimly-lit forests at night.  It "bolts" its food, ripping off and swallowing the head first!
    Sooty Owl Portrait 01_3014.jpg
  • Whiteheads can be found in sociable flocks,  foraging the forest canopy for insects that are often dislodged by other feeding birds.  <br />
They can be found feeding around other birds such as tui, saddleback, kakariki, and silvereyes.<br />
<br />
This whitehead takes a brief rest on a manuka shrub on Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand.
    Whitehead 03_H7C9994.jpg
  • And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky."  - Genesis 1:20<br />
<br />
(photo of an angelic Forster's Tern, hovering in the air while plunge diving for fish, Southern California, North America)
    Creation, Day 5_Birds 2.jpg
  • The fantail is one of New Zealand's most iconic birds. However, only ~5% are black morphs, and even less of these black fantails have a white spot over each ear.
    Black NZ Fantail 05_C9A3828.jpg
  • The fantail is one of New Zealand's most iconic birds. However, only ~5% are black morphs, and even less of these black fantails have a white spot over each ear.
    Black NZ Fantail 04_C9A3642.jpg
  • The fantail is one of New Zealand's most iconic birds. However, only ~5% are black morphs, and even less of these black fantails have a white spot over each ear.
    Black NZ Fantail 01_C9A3845.jpg
  • New Zealand Dotterel are one NZ's rarest birds, due to their love of coastal habitat, which in summer happens to be the favorite playground of people.
    New Zealand Dotterel 07_H7C8837.jpg
  • If the eggs of the New Zealand Dotterel are lost to predators, or to natural factors such as storms or big tides, the birds will re-nest up to four times in one season.
    New Zealand Dotterel 22_H7C7894.jpg
  • The greenish-yellow lines on the Australiasian gannet's black webbed feet are quite striking up close!  The male and female Australasian Gannet are similar in plumage. Most of the body is white, with dark tips on the major wing feathers and the inner tail feathers. The head is buff-yellow and the bill pale blue-grey with striking black borders to the bill sheaths. In immature birds, the head and upperparts are mostly brown with scattered amounts of white spotting.
    Australasian Gannet 21_9630.jpg
  • The nearly extinct takahe is a metaphor for all the New Zealand birds which are genuinely gone for good and can never be rediscovered.  The endangered takahe are a powerful reminder of the many other species that hover perilously close to extinction.
    Takahe 17_H7C1330.jpg
  • Only 17 of 37 stitchbirds survived the first transfer from Little Barrier Island to Tiritiri Matangi in 1995.  The next year, only 2 of 13 stitchbirds survived the second transfer.  Since this slow start, the stitchbird population on Tiritiri Matangi Island has grown well, jumping to 109 adult birds in 2003.
    Stitchbird 14_H7C1625.jpg
  • Stitchbirds were first released on Tiri in 1995 and have successfully bred.  The population on Tiritiri Matangi Island is now over 100 birds, with a total population of around 4500.
    Stitchbird 10_H7C1605.jpg
  • Gannets can dive from a height of 30 metres, achieving speeds of 100 km/h as they strike the water, enabling them to catch fish much deeper than most airborne birds.  In this image, an Australasian Gannet soars over its colony at Farewell Spit, New Zealand.
    Australasian Gannet 06_6638.jpg
  • The fantail is one of New Zealand's most iconic birds. However, only ~5% are black morphs, and even less of these black fantails have a white spot over each ear.
    Black NZ Fantail 03_C9A3632.jpg
  • The fantail is one of New Zealand's most iconic birds. However, only ~5% are black morphs, and even less of these black fantails have a white spot over each ear.
    Black NZ Fantail 02_C9A3843.jpg
  • Previously thought to be primarily vegetarian, the takahe is now known to be an opportunistic feeder.  At times it will eat other birds!  Here, a takahe on Tiritiri Matangi holds a blade of grass, like a peace offering.
    Takahe 27_H7C1524.jpg
  • Takahe were roasted and eaten by early sealers.  They were also eaten by early Maori too, as was a slightly larger subspecies of takahe from the North Island, along with several similar flightless birds including the now extinct adzebill.
    Takahe 13_H7C1283.jpg
  • Saddlebacks were the first endangered species to be released on Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand.  The Navy's HMNZS Pukaki brought 22 birds from Cuvier Island to Tiri in 1984.
    Saddleback 09_MG_0145.jpg
  • The Groucho Marx of birds?  Erect white ear-tufts on this Stitchbird resemble raised bushy eyebrows, which are normally laid flat against the side of the head.  Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand.
    Stitchbird 06_H7C0809.jpg
  • The longest living of any living sea birds, the Australasian Gannet can live up to 35 years by migrating during the winter, bonding with a mate and keeping a healthy diet of anchovy, jack mackerel and pilchards.<br />
<br />
Australasian Gannet at Golden Bay, near Puponga Point, New Zealand
    Australasian Gannet 15_9150.jpg
  • Barn owl portrait, showing delicate hair-like facial feathers known as vibrissae.  Vibrissae are extremely touch-sensitive and serve to enhance nocturnal birds' senses in the dark.
    Barn Owl 01.jpg
  • The fantail is one of New Zealand's most iconic birds. However, only ~5% are black morphs, and even less of these black fantails have a white spot over each ear.
    Black NZ Fantail 06_C9A3626.jpg
  • Two different subspecies of the New Zealand Dotterel exist.  In this image is a Northern NZ Dotterel.  The Southern NZ Dotterel only has a population of about 250 birds, surviving on Stewart Island and nesting on mountain tops.
    Northern New Zealand Dotterel 40_H7C...jpg
  • The Sacred Kingfisher's diet includes insects, crabs, even small birds, and skinks.  Here it feeds on a mud crab caught in the Invercargill Estuary in New Zealand.
    Sacred Kingfisher 03.jpg
  • Bar-tailed Godwit, Miranda, New Zealand
    Miranda Bird Hide_4784.jpg
  • Kea Parrot, Fiordland, New Zealand
    Kea 28_9194.jpg
  • Wandering Albatross, New Zealand
    Wandering Albatross 43_9430.jpg
  • Wandering Albatross, Kaikoura, New Zealand
    Wandering Albatross 01_1192.jpg
  • Kea, West Coast, New Zealand
    Kea 86_0324.jpg
  • Kaka, Stewart Island, New Zealand
    Kaka 28_9818.jpg
  • Fantail, New Zealand
    Fantail 16_4541.jpg
  • Pukeko are the slimmer cousins of the Takahe.  They stalk proudly around flicking their white scuts.
    Pukeko 39_6896.jpg
  • A Blue Penguin propels through the water, New Zealand.
    Blue Penguin 11_5395.jpg
  • Fiordland Crested Penguin, West Coast, New Zealand
    Fiordland Crested Penguin 85_7802.jpg
  • Royal Spoonbill feeding in Invercargill Estuary, Southland, New Zealand
    Royal Spoonbill 48_4795.jpg
  • Royal Spoonbill feeding in Invercargill Estuary, Southland, New Zealand
    Royal Spoonbill 46_4794.jpg
  • Tui on flax, Waiheke Island, New Zealand
    Tui 72_H7C7324.jpg
  • An Australasian Gannet soars majestically above the ocean with the painterly lines of an eroding cliff in the backdrop at Muriwai, New Zealand.  The gannet generally feeds over continental shelves or inshore waters, seldom far from land. Its diet is comprised mainly of pelagic fish, especially pilchard, anchovies and jack mackerel, but also squid and garfish. Prey is caught mainly by plunge-diving, but it is also seen regularly attending trawlers.
    Australasian Gannet 26_7505.jpg
  • Banded Dotterel, Awarua, New Zealand
    Banded Dotterel 38_1536.jpg
  • Blue Penguin swimming out at sea, New Zealand.
    Blue Penguin 13_5406.jpg
  • Rifleman, Fiordland, Routeburn, New Zealand
    Rifleman 04_8429.jpg
  • New Zealand is poorly represented having just 2 species of kingfisher.  One is the widespread and well-known Sacred Kingfisher and the other the introduced Laughing Kookaburra.
    Sacred Kingfisher 10_7075.jpg
  • House Sparrow perched on a beautiful blossom tree.
    House Sparrow 04_H7C3096.jpg
  • Silvereye foraging for nectar and berries amongst the autumn trees in Central Otago, New Zealand
    Silvereye 47_9770.jpg
  • Paradise Shelduck at Hooker Valley, Mount Cook
    Paradise Shelduck at Hooker Valley 0...jpg
  • Fiordland Crested Penguin, West Coast, Westland, New Zealand
    Fiordland Crested Penguin 37_3413.jpg
  • White-capped Albatross, Southern Royal Albatross, New Zealand
    2 Diff Albatrosses_0920.jpg
  • A tui takes flight New Zealand
    Tui 101_H7C0301.jpg
  • A 19th century ornithologist Sir Walter Buller described the call made by the male stitchbird (hihi) as resembling the word ‘stitch’.  This call sounds a little like two stones being repeatedly stuck together.  Both males and females also have a range of warble-like calls and whistles.
    Stitchbird 04_H7C0424.jpg
  • Cape Petrel, New Zealand
    Cape Petrel 08_3188.jpg
  • The rush of the ocean collides against the base of the cliff, as a family of endangered yellow-eyed penguins reunite.
    Clifftop Yellow-eyed Penguins 01_H7C...jpg
  • Australasian Crested Grebe passing on a freshly caught fish (bully), in preparation of feeding a newborn chick, at Lake Wanaka, New Zealand
    Australasian Crested Grebe 29_C9A044...jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, endangered, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 142_9615.jpg
  • Maori legend says that the Maori god Maui became angry with the saddleback because he didn’t bring him water when Maui was lassoing the sun to slow it down.   Maui grabbed the tieke with his fiery hand and burnt its feathers. From that day the saddleback wore a chestnut-red ‘saddle’.
    Saddleback 02_4876.jpg
  • Tui portrait along the golden flowers of a kowhai, a native Sophora tree from New Zealand.
    Tui portrait and golden Kowhai 84_63...jpg
  • Red-crowned Parakeet, Tiritiri Matangi, New Zealand
    Red-crowned Parakeet 14_H7C1693.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, endangered, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 141_9596.jpg
  • Silvereye foraging for nectar and berries amongst the autumn trees in Central Otago, New Zealand
    Silvereye 49_9804.jpg
  • Endangered Black-billed Gull chick,  sitting at nest, New Zealand
    Black-billed Gull 22_4428.jpg
  • Fiordland Crested Penguin, West Coast, New Zealand
    Fiordland Crested Penguin 68_7450.jpg
  • Fiordland Crested Penguin, West Coast, Westland, New Zealand
    Fiordland Crested Penguin 47_3500.jpg
  • Who wants swimming lessons?  Gather round everyone, we'll start with the birdy paddle at the shallow end!  A group of Fiordland Crested Penguins explore the beach after a long day out at sea, along the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.
    Fiordland Crested Penguin 10_0050.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 106_6491.jpg
  • Yellow-eyed Penguin, Curio Bay, New Zealand
    Yellow-eyed Penguin 61_5990.jpg
  • Black-fronted Tern, New Zealand
    Black-fronted Tern 07_2531.jpg
  • Hutton's Shearwater, Kaikoura, New Zealand
    Hutton's Shearwater 01_3034.jpg
  • Kea, early winter dawn in Fiordland, New Zealand
    Kea 01_2101.jpg
  • Australasian Crested Grebes are known to eat feathers, which can fill up to 50% of its stomach!<br />
It is believed that feathers are swallowed to prevent bones from passing, or to deal with gastric parasites.
    Australasian Crested Grebe 25_C9A814...jpg
  • New Zealand Wood Pigeon, Southland, forest
    New Zealand Wood Pigeon 14_H7C2567.jpg
  • New Zealand Falcon, Fiordland
    New Zealand Falcon 13_9973.jpg
  • Fiordland Crested Penguin, West Coast, New Zealand
    Fiordland Crested Penguin 52_3531.jpg
  • New Zealand wood pigeon
    New Zealand Wood Pigeon 10_8092.jpg
  • Cape Petrel, New Zealand
    Cape Petrel 05_1161.jpg
  • The Rainbow Bee-eater is very appropriately named, both for its colors and its diet.  It can expertly de-sting bees, wasps, and hornets, by rubbing and bashing the insect against a perch before eating it.  It is the only bee-eater found in Australia, and can eat as many as 100 bees each day!
    Rainbow Bee-eater_4743.jpg
  • Kaka, Stewart Island, New Zealand
    Kaka 03.jpg
  • With remarkable grace and precision, a Wandering Albatross capitalizes on its enormous wingspan (up to 11 feet 6 inches) to effortlessly soar over the ocean surface.   Dynamic soaring is the flying technique that allows the albatross to stay aloft for hours on end, all while efficiently conserving its energy.
    Wandering Albatross 39_8511.jpg
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