NATIVE BIRDS OF THE NEW ZEALAND FOREST If you prefer, view the birds one by one in my Slide Show

For anyone with an ongoing interest in what New Zealand native birds look like, it is hard to beat the stunning illustrations done by Johannes Gerardus Keulemans for Walter Buller’s A History of the Birds of New Zealand, first published in London in 1888. You can find about 74 of these lovely paintings in a small, very inexpensive hard-cover book called Paintings of the Birds of New Zealand: The Art of J G Keulemans, which includes quotes from Buller’s book and an introduction by Ross Galbreath.

It was published in 2006 by Random New Zealand Ltd and is beautifully presented. I would have liked some up-to-date details on the birds still extant, particularly how endangered they are, but I paid only $14.99 for my copy so feel I can hardly complain. There is also a beautiful paperback book by Andrew Crowe called Which New Zealand Bird? I saw it in McLeod’s Book Shop, but it was around $35 so I didn’t buy it. That doesn’t mean to say I won’t ever buy it, of course!

(August 2013): I recently bought the 2012 updated version of Buller’s famous book from Te Papa for $120 (a great special) but it seems to be hard to obtain now, though The Women's Bookshop has a few copies for $150. Search there for Buller's Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Works of J.G. Keulemans.

Books on New Zealand birds are available (post-free) from cdwow.co.nz. At the moment the variety isn’t great but you can always ask them if they can get a particular title for you.

The following 32 species aren’t the only birds that may be seen in a forest but the list includes those regarded as primarily forest-dwellers and others which, although not dependent on a purely forest habit, are commonly seen in forests. I haven’t included introduced birds such as sparrows, blackbirds and the song thrush, all of which are found in our native forests. Size refers to the overall length of the bird including its bill and tail.

Birds that are not seen in forests (such as the pukeko, a type of swamp-hen) haven’t been included.

Some of the information in this file may be outdated. DOC (Department of Conservation) and other people have been doing a great deal of work to preserve what remains of New Zealand’s native birds. New Zealand has the dubious distinction of having more extinct and endangered birds than any other country in the world. This is no reflection on New Zealanders. It’s just that before humans discovered New Zealand it was (quite literally) a bird sanctuary. The only land mammals in the whole land were bats, which don’t prey on birds.

Here is a glimpse of a forest interior. (Photo by J H Johns, ARPS). While it shows sundrenched foliage and treeferns, our forests are very dense and their interiors would normally be quite dark. To hear the songs of some of the birds here go to Kiwi Wildlife Tours NZ. You can hear a dawn chorus at Te Ara: The Encycclopaedia of New Zealand.

For more information on New Zealand’s birds of prey, and lots of photographs, see Wingspan’s web site.

NEW ZEALAND FALCON (Karearea) Falco novaeseelandiae

Size: 41-48cm.
Status: Threatened.
Range: Throughout main islands but rare north of the Volcanic Plateau of the central North Island. Some off-shore and outlying islands.
Habitat: Native forests, more particularly in hilly districts.
Food: Birds and small mammals.
Voice: A staccato call “Kek-kek-kek-kek”.
Breeding: October-December. Two to four eggs, reddish brown with chocolate blotches.
General: Females are generally bigger and more richly coloured than the males. Young are darker. Fully protected.
Here is Ruby from Wingspan. Ruby, as the name suggests, is a female. (Photo by Roger Barker, 26 November 2008.)

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