Anthornis melanura

This songbird has a deep olive-green body, wine-red eyes and striking blue-black notched tail and wings. The ringing notes of its song resembles the chiming of distant bells. Feeding predominantly on nectar, it has a short, curved bill with a brush-like tongue to reach deeply into flowers.

Gallirallus australis scotti

One of New Zealand’s most iconic flightless birds, the quail-like Stewart Island weka is extremely confident, often approaching humans with its trademark stride. This stocky weka is chestnut brown with light brown edging around its darker inner blade feathers, reddish-brown eyes, a strong short beak and short sturdy legs. Pairs perform vocal “coo…eet” musical duets.

Mohoua ochrocephala

A sparrow-sized forest songbird with a canary-yellow head, breast and upper belly, brown wings and tail, white lower belly, and jet-black eyes and beak. The mohua flits nimbly between branches in tree canopies with a characteristic machine gun–like social chatter.

Nestor meridionalis

A large, stocky parrot growing up to
44cm in length and weighing up to
400g, the kākā is olive brown with a
white crown, scalloped neck feathers,
mustard cheeks and a deep crimson
stomach. It’s very vocal, with a wide
range of boisterous calls and is
surprisingly acrobatic for its size.

Rhipidura fuliginosa

This attractive bird’s long black
and white fanned tail is not only
pretty, but practical, too. When
foraging in foliage for invertebrates
to eat, it fans its tail (and flicks its
wings) to frighten hidden prey
into moving, making it visible. A
multi-coloured sooty brown with a
lighter cinnamon-coloured breast
and belly, a brown back and rump,
prominent white “eyebrows” are
also distinguishable features.

Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae

A local favourite, this large,
conspicuous pigeon is distinctively
coloured with an iridescent
green-purple head, blue-green
back and wings, and a purplebronze
neck, mantle and wings.
With no vocals other than a
warning call, it uses a distinctive
whooshing sound when in flight to
communicate with other birds.

Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae

Named for its distinctive red forehead
and fore-crown, this parakeet’s plumage
is predominantly bright green, with
some wing feathers a rich cyan blue, and
cobalt blue or red underwings. A social
species, it is often seen in pairs or groups
and communicates with a characteristic
laugh-like call. This medium-sized bird
nests in the hollows of tree trunks, holes
in the ground, on cliff faces and under
dense vegetation.

Petroica australis rakiura

Also known as the South Island
robin, this photogenic species
is incredibly inquisitive. Both
sexes are great songsters, but
especially males, who sing loudly
for minutes at a time, often from
a high perch. Both males and
females expose a small white tuft
of feathers above the base of their
beak to communicate distress.