Bird Watching

We enjoy many unique and native birds inhabiting the trees and bushes around Hapuku Lodge. A set of binoculars is available at Reception for your convenience. 

Hapuku Bird Directory

KĀKĀRIKI

The Kākāriki are members of the parrot family which are mainly tropical birds notable for their colourful plumage. The birds' Māori name, which is the most commonly used, means "small green parrot". There are five main species of kākāriki: yellow-crowned parakeet, orange-fronted parakeet, red-crowned parakeet, Forbes' parakeet and Antipodes Island parakeet.

Kākāriki are basically bright green in colour but can be identified by the distinguishing coloured areas on the head: The yellow-crowned parakeet has a yellow patch on the head and a red frontal band above the beak. The orange-fronted parakeet has a pale yellow patch on its head with an orange band above the beak. The red-crowned parakeet is distinguished by a bright crimson forehead, crown and a streak extending back beyond the eyes. The Forbes' parakeet looks similar to a yellow-crowned parakeet but is only found on Mangere Island in the Chatham group of islands. The Antipodes Island parakeet has an entirely green head. 

Kākāriki feed on berries, seeds, fruit and insects. It is not unusual to see kākāriki foraging on the ground. They generally nest in holes in trees. Red-crowned parakeets also sometimes nest in crevices in cliffs or among rocks, in burrows in the ground or in densely matted vegetation. Nesting generally occurs from October through to December, although they will nest through winter if food is abundant. The female incubates 5-9 eggs for around 20 days until they hatch. During this time, the male calls the female off the nest and feeds her by regurgitation. Both parents feed the chicks but the male usually transfers the food to the female, who then passes it along to the chicks. Red-crowned fledglings are fed on the ground for a period before they can fly, making them especially vulnerable to predators. 

Kākāriki are usually solitary or found in pairs, although in autumn and winter they may form small flocks. In flight they make a loud rapid chatter that sounds like 'ki-ki-ki-ki'.

There are apparently now more Kākāriki to be found in captivity than in the wild for like most of the parrot family they breed very successfully in captivity. A permit from the Department of Conservation is required to breed Kākāriki.

TUI 

The Tui is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand. It is one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family. The name tui is from the Maori language name tūī and is the species' formal common name. The English name, Parson Bird, has fallen into disuse but came about because 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.

Tuis are considered to be very intelligent, much like parrots. They also resemble parrots in their ability to clearly imitate human speech, and are known for their noisy, unusual call, different for each individual, that combine bellbird-like notes with clicks, cackles, timber-like creaks and groans, and wheezing sounds—unusually for a bird, they have two voice boxes and this is what enables them to perform such a myriad of vocalisations.

Flax nectar is the normal diet but fruit and insects are frequently eaten, and pollen and seeds more occasionally. Particularly popular is the New Zealand flax, whose nectar sometimes ferments, resulting in the tui flying in a fashion that suggests that they might be drunk. They are the main pollinators of flax, kowhai, kaka beak and some other plants. 

Feathers fluffed up and loudly crying Male tuis can be extremely aggressive, chasing all other birds (large and small) from their territory with loud flapping and sounds akin to rude human speech. This is especially true of other tuis when possession of a favoured feeding tree is impinged. Birds will often erect their body feathers in order to appear larger in an attempt to intimidate a rival. They have even been known to mob harriers and magpies. The powered flight of tuis is quite loud as they have developed short wide wings, giving excellent manoeuvrability in the dense forest they prefer, but requiring rapid flapping. They can be seen to perform a mating display of rising at speed in a vertical climb in clear air, before stalling and dropping into a powered dive, then repeating. Much of this behaviour is more notable during the breeding season of early spring—September and October. Females alone build nests of twigs, grasses and mosses.

KOTARE (KINGFISHER)

The species Halcyon sanctus (kingfisher) is found in New Guinea, Australia, Tasmania, New Caledonia, the Solomon, Kermadec, Lord Howe, Norfolk and Loyalty Islands. The New Zealand sub-species, vagans, is distinguished from the Australian sub-species by its larger size and broader bill and generally by the distinctiveness of its green and blue colours.

Halcyon is the Greek word for kingfisher and refers to a bird fabled to breed about the time of the winter solstice in a nest floating on the sea and to charm the wind and waves so that the sea was then specially calm, hence halcyon days. The specific name of sanctus, the Sacred Kingfisher, was bestowed on the species as far back as 1782 because of the veneration paid to the bird in some Pacific Islands.

Kotare (New Zealand kingfisher) is distinguished by its habit of perching in a prominent place and waiting for its prey to appear. The collective noun of “a concentration of kingfishers”, would seem to be entirely appropriate. The bird is all head and shoulders with a very broad bill, made (so it seems) for driving into clay banks or a tree to make nesting holes.

The Kotare is a fearless bird and readily attacks mammals and birds of its own size and larger. “Starlings are driven away, red billed gulls put to flight, and Tui killed, cats and dogs blinded in one eye and even weasels attacked. Every kind of small animal is attacked, killed and eaten by the kingfisher. The mouse is a first favourite and the bird’s sharp eyes and quick actions are usually effective when one comes into view. Before being swallowed the victim is pulped and its bones broken by battering on the kingfisher’s perch. Small birds such as Tauhou, the white eye, are eaten and lizards where they are plentiful. Larger insects also form part of the diet.“ Fish form only a small part of their diet but whitebait are taken in the lower reaches of the rivers in spring and goldfish in ponds are not safe. They have been photographed diving into the water after prey with their wings clapped to their sides like a gannet.

They nest in a burrow either in a clay bank or a tree, very often a decaying willow. As described by many writers and observers, to start a tunnel they sit on a branch slightly above and several metres away from the site and fly straight at it, neck outstretched and uttering a peculiar whirring call, and strike it forcedly with the bill tip. They continue until the hole is big enough to perch in and scoop out. The nesting burrow can be as much as 24cm long and will be used year after year. The female does most of the brooding while the male supplies the food. They are bad housekeepers and the nests are often quite filthy.

Some surprise has been expressed that Maori never used the feathers of Kotare for decorative cloaks, considering the bird’s very colourful feathers. The young of this bird were taken from the nest in former times for the pot, or rather steam pit. Some Maori, however, were prejudiced against them because it was observed that they ate lizards which are regarded as guardians of the Maori of the forest. They are not, it seems venerated by Maori.

PIWAKAWAKA (FANTAIL)

The fantail is widespread throughout New Zealand and its offshore islands, including the Chatham Islands and Snares Islands. It is common in most regions of the country, except in the dry, open country of inland Marlborough and Central Otago, where frosts and snow falls are too harsh for it. It also breeds widely in Australia and some Pacific Islands. 

The fantail is one of the few native bird species in New Zealand that has been able to adapt to an environment greatly altered by humans. Originally a bird of open native forests and scrub, it is now also found in exotic plantation forests, in orchards and in gardens. At times, fantails may appear far from any large stands of shrubs or trees, and it has an altitudinal range that extends from sea level to the snow line. 

There are about 10 sub-species of fantail, three of which live in New Zealand: the North Island fantail, the South Island fantail and the Chatham Islands fantail. Fantails use their broad tails to change direction quickly while hunting for insects. They sometimes hop around upside-down amongst tree ferns and foliage to pick insects from the underside of leaves. Their main preys are moths, flies, spiders, wasps, and beetles, although they sometimes also eat fruit. They seldom feed on the ground. 

The fantail lifespan is relatively short in New Zealand (the oldest bird recorded here was 3 years old, although in Australia they have been recorded up to 10 years). Fantails stay in pairs all year but high mortality means that they seldom survive more than one season. The success of the species is largely due to the fantail's prolific and early breeding. Juvenile males can start breeding between 2-9 months old, and females can lay as many as 5 clutches in one season, with between 2-5 eggs per clutch. Fantail populations fluctuate greatly from year to year, especially when winters are prolonged or severe storms hit in spring. However, since they are prolific breeders, they are able to spring back quickly after such events. Both adults incubate eggs for about 14 days and the chicks fledge at about 13 days. Both adults will feed the young, but as soon as the female starts building the next nest the male takes over the role of feeding the previous brood. Young are fed about every 10 minutes - about 100 times per day. 

In Māori mythology the fantail was responsible for the presence of death in the world. Maui, thinking he could eradicate death by successfully passing through the goddess of death, Hine-nui-te-po, tried to enter the goddess's sleeping body through the pathway of birth. The fantail, warned by Maui to be quiet, began laughing and woke Hine-nuite- po, who was so angry that she promptly killed Maui.

KERERU (WOOD PIGEON)

New Zealand's native pigeon, also wood pigeon, is the only disperser of large fruits, such as those of karaka and taraire, we have. The disappearance of the kererū would be a disaster for the regeneration of our native forests. 

The kererū is a large bird with iridescent green and bronze feathers on its head and a smart white vest. The noisy beat of its wings is a distinctive sound in our forests. The pigeon is found in most lowland native forests of the North, South and Stewart/Rakiura islands and many of their neighbouring islands.

There are two species of native pigeon, the New Zealand pigeon known to the Maori as kererū, or in Northland as kūkū or kūkupa, and the Chatham Islands pigeon or parea. The parea is found mainly in the south-west of Chatham Island. While there are only about 500 parea left, the species has made a remarkable recovery over the past 20 years, due to habitat protection and predator control. Two other kinds of native pigeon became extinct on Raoul Island and Norfolk Island last century, probably due to hunting and predation. 

Since the extinction of the moa, the native pigeon is now the only seed disperser with a bill big enough to swallow large fruit, such as those of karaka, tawa and taraire. It also eats leaves, buds and flowers, the relative amounts varying seasonally and regionally, e.g. in Northland the birds eat mostly fruit. 

Kererū are large birds and can measure up to 51 cm from tail to beak, and weigh about 650g. Long-lived birds, they breed slowly. Key breeding signals are spectacular display flights performed mainly by territorial males. They nest mainly in spring/early summer producing only one egg per nest, which the parents take turns to look after during the 28-day incubation period. The chick grows rapidly, leaving the nest when about 40 days old. It is fed "pigeon milk", a protein-rich milky secretion from the walls of the parents' crops, mixed with fruit pulp. When much fruit is available, some pairs of kererū will have a large chick in one nest and be incubating an egg in another nearby. Fledglings spend about two weeks with their parents before becoming fully independent, but have remained with their parents during autumn and winter in some cases. 

KORIMAKO (BELL BIRD) 

Most New Zealanders can easily recognise the bellbird by its melodious song, which Captain Cook described as sounding 'like small bells exquisitely tuned'. Well camouflaged, the bellbird is usually heard before it is seen. Females are dull olive-brown, with a slight blue sheen on the head and a pale yellow cheek stripe. Males are olive green, with a purplish head and black outer wing and tail feathers.

Bellbirds are unique to New Zealand, occurring on the three main islands, many offshore islands and also the Auckland Islands. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand, bellbirds were common throughout the North and South Islands. Their numbers declined sharply during the 1860s in the North Island and 1880s in the South Island, about the time that ship rats and stoats arrived. For a time it was thought they might vanish from the mainland. Their numbers recovered somewhat from about 1940 onwards, but they are almost completely absent on the mainland north of Hamilton, and are still rare in parts of Wellington, Wairarapa and much of inland Canterbury and Otago. 

Bellbirds live in native forest (including mixed podocarp-hardwood and beech forest) and regenerating forest, especially where there is diverse or dense vegetation. They can be found close to the coast or in vegetation up to about 1200 metres. In the South Island they have been found inhabiting plantations of eucalypts, pines or willows. They can be spotted in urban areas, especially if there is bush nearby. 

Typically they require forest and scrub habitats, reasonable cover and good local food sources during the breeding season, since they do not travel far from the nest. However, outside the breeding season they may travel many kilometres to feed, especially males. 

Bellbirds are generalist feeders; they eat nectar, fruit and insects, with insects being particularly important to females and chicks during the breeding season. They often feed in tree canopies but do come down to feed on flax and native fuchsia nectar. As nectar-feeders (or 'honeyeaters' as scientists call them), bellbirds are important pollinators of many native plant species, such as mistletoe, fuchsia and kowhai. 

The breeding season is approximately September through to February. Bellbirds tend to nest in trees, and prefer trees with dense foliage for cover. Bellbirds are strongly territorial during the breeding season. Bellbirds are known to mate with the same partner year after year, and the pair maintains the same breeding territory each year. The female makes the nest, lays 3 to 5 eggs, and incubates the clutch. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after 14 days. A pair can raise two broods in a season. Bellbird song comprises three distinct sounds resembling the chiming of bells. They sing throughout the day, but more so in the early morning and late evening. The alarm call is a series of loud, rapidly repeated, harsh staccato notes.

WELCOME SWALLOW 

Welcome swallows are a new addition to New Zealand’s native fauna. Known only as occasional vagrants before the 1950s, they were first noticed breeding near Kaitāia, Northland, in 1958. Since then they have spread throughout the mainland, except for the central South Island mountains. They are also found on the Chatham and Kermadec islands. They also breed in Australia and New Caledonia.

Welcome swallows are small, slender birds with finely pointed wings and distinctive forked tails. They are deep blue on the head and back, with dark chestnut wings and tail. From the face to the chest they are orange-red – more intense during the breeding season – and off-white below.

Insects such as blowflies, midges, beetles and moths are most often taken on the wing. Sometimes aquatic insects are caught from the surface of streams and pools. During courtship, pairs hover and flutter then pursue each other high into the sky. Once there are young to feed, adults dart swiftly from the nest, flying in long arcs to and from favoured feeding sites – often over water or grasslands. In winter, large numbers of swallows flock together and head for reliable food supplies. They move southwards to Otago and Southland, and northwards as far as Norfolk Island. Rows of swallows are often seen perching along fences or power lines during the day. Mass overnight flocks may form in raupō (bulrush) swamps.

Welcome swallows’ distinctive mud nests hang from vertical or near-vertical surfaces under a roof or overhang, such as walls of caves, outhouses, barns, or under bridges and jetties. The nest resembles an upside-down igloo, made of beakfuls of mud strengthened with dry grass stalks. Starting from the base, the birds build out in curved tiers, creating a cup, which they then line with grass, rootlets, wool and feathers. Females lay four or more pink eggs with red-brown flecks, raising up to three broods between August and February. Only the female incubates and broods, but both parents feed the chicks. The oldest swallow found in New Zealand was six years.

 YELLOWHAMMER

The yellowhammer was included in the importation made by the Nelson Acclimatisation Society in 1862. It was subsequently liberated in Auckland, Canterbury and Otago and quickly became established throughout the country. It is probably still more abundant here in New Zealand now than in Europe where it is in serious decline and is categorised as a Red List species.

The Yellowhammer is a robust 16 cm long bird, with a thick seed-eater's bill. The male has a bright yellow head, yellow under parts, and a heavily streaked brown back. The female is much duller, and more streaked below. To the untrained eye both females and juveniles look a bit like sparrows.

Its natural diet consists of insects when feeding young and otherwise seeds. The nest is on the ground. 3-6 eggs are laid, which show the hair-like markings characteristic of those of buntings. It is most commonly found on lowland arable and mixed farmland, probably due to the greater availability of seeds. It nests in hedges, patches of scrub, and ditches, especially if these have a wide grass margin next to them and a cereal crop next to the margin. Hedges of up to two metres tall are preferred, and they will not nest until it is in full leaf, building the nest next to the hedge if it is built before this. In winter, the flocks feed at good seed sites, such as newly-sown fields and over-wintered stubbles.

Visiting birders often mistake the yellowhammer for our own endemic yellowhead which is confined to forest, mainly beech, of the South Island and is a very rare bird indeed. The yellowhammer is confined to the open country and is rarely, if ever seen in the New Zealand forest or bush.

KĀREAREA (NEW ZEALAND FALCON)

Capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h and catching prey larger than itself, the New Zealand falcon/kārearea is one of New Zealand's most spectacular birds.

One of 38 species of falcon worldwide, the New Zealand falcon is endemic to this country. The falcon has a wide distribution, being found on both the North and South Islands and several offshore islands, including Stewart Island and the sub-antarctic Auckland Islands. Recently, plantation pine forests have been found to be important breeding habitats for falcons. The highest known density of the species is found in Kaingaroa pine forest in the central North Island. 

Small dark 'Bush' falcons live in forests in the North Island, mainly south of Hamilton, and in forests of NW South Island as far south as Greymouth. Large paler "Eastern" falcons live in open dryer habitats east of the Southern Alps but extend from coast to coast in central South Island. "Southern" falcons are intermediate in size and colouration and live in Fiordland, Stewart Island and the Auckland Islands.

The New Zealand Falcon is capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h. They can catch prey larger than itself. Adult birds measure between 40cm and 50cm. Males are smaller than females and weigh between 240g and 350g while females weigh between 410g and 640g.

New Zealand falcons hunt live prey, mainly by watching from a vantage point and making a fast direct flying attack and either striking or grasping the prey with their feet which are equipped with sharp talons. They kill their prey with a quick powerful bite to the neck. They feed on a range of animals, including insects, mammals and lizards, but their diet consists mainly of birds.

Like all falcons, the New Zealand falcon does not build a nest. Rather, it makes a scrape on the ground, under a rocky outcrop or in an epiphyte in an emergent forest tree into which it lays its eggs. A typical clutch consists of 2-4 eggs which take about 33 days to hatch. Nestlings are fed by both parents but the male does most of the hunting with the female guarding close to the nest until the nestlings are close to fledging, which occurs between 31 and 45 days after hatching.

CALIFORNIAN QUAIL

The California Quail, also known as the California Valley Quail or Valley Quail, is a small ground-dwelling bird in the New World quail family. It is indigenous along the west coast and western region of North America where it inhabits the drier coastal and valley regions. In the past it has been introduced to Argentina, Chile, Fiji, Hawaii, Tonga, Juan Fernandez Island, Norfolk Island in Australia, and New Zealand. Successful naturalization has only occurred in New Zealand, Chile, Hawaii, and Norfolk Island. The Californian Quail was first imported into the Nelson district in 1865 for the purpose of hunting and during the following ten years into the Auckland, Canterbury, Otago, Southland and Wellington districts. By 1890 it became so plentiful in the Nelson District that large numbers were frozen and exported to England. 

Californian Quails have a curving crest or plume, made of six feathers, that droops forward: black in males and brown in females. Males have a dark brown cap and a black face with a brown back, a grey-blue chest and a light brown belly. Females and immature birds are mainly grey-brown with a light-coloured belly. 

The California Quail is a highly sociable bird that often gathers in small flocks known as "coveys". One of their daily communal activities is a dust bath. A group of quail will select an area where the ground has been newly turned or is soft, and using their underbellies, will burrow downward into the soil some one to two inches. They then wriggle about in the indentations they have created, flapping their wings and ruffling their feathers, causing dust to rise in the air. They seem to prefer sunny places in which to create these dust baths. An ornithologist is able to detect the presence of quail in an area by spotting the circular indentations left behind in the soft dirt, some 7–15 cm (3-6 inches) in diameter.

These birds forage on the ground, often scratching at the soil. They can sometimes be seen feeding at the sides of roads. Their diet consists mainly of seeds and leaves, but they also eat some berries and insects. If startled, these birds explode into short rapid flight, called "flushing". Given a choice, they will normally make their escape on foot.

The California quail's acclimatisation in New Zealand has been most successful and is common in open country especially hilly regions cleared of forest and in fern and tutu country. Their nest is a shallow scrape lined with vegetation located on the ground under a shrub or other cover. The female usually lays approximately twelve eggs. Once they are hatched, the young associate with both adults. Often, families group together, into multifamily "communal broods" which include at least two females, multiple males and many offspring. Males associated with families are not always the genetic fathers. In good years, females will lay more than one clutch, leaving the hatched young with the associated male and laying a new clutch, often with a different associated male.

 TAUHOU (SILVEREYE)

The Silvereye or Wax-eye is a very small passerine bird native to Australia, New Zealand and the south-west Pacific islands of Lord Howe, New Caledonia, Loyalty Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji. 

Silvereyes breed in spring and early summer (mainly between September and December), making a tiny cup of grass, moss, hair, spider web, and thistledown, suspended from a small tree or shrub, and laying 2 to 4 pale blue eggs. Two broods may be raised during this, the breeding season. Once the young have fledged, Silvereyes gather into flocks and many migrate north during late summer, making their way north along the coast and ranges, foraging busily during the day with much calling and quick movement through the shrubbery, then flying long distances into the night.

In New Zealand, the Silvereye was first recorded in 1832. It arrived in greater numbers in 1856, and it is assumed that a migrating flock was swept eastwards by a storm. However, it is also possible that they followed a ship across the Tasman as other birds sometimes do, or were accidentally transported aboard a ship. Since there is no evidence that it was artificially introduced into New Zealand, it is somewhat ambiguously classified as a native species here and is consequently protected. Its Māori name, Tauhou, means "stranger" or more literally, "new arrival".

Silvereyes are omnivorous but have a particular fondness for fruit. Some orchardists, grape growers, and home gardeners regard them as a serious pest particularly as, being so small, they simply ignore bird nets, popping in and out through the netting at will. They destroy a wide range of fruit species, including amongst others, apples, citrus, feijoas, figs, grapes, pears and persimmons.