KCC Wild Things 156 Spring 2022

Kōanga/Spring 2022 |

Wild

ISSUE 156

Things Inside:

> Collect your

third set of Wild Cardz! > Get ready for Bird of the Year 2022

Ancient Birds A LAND BEFORE TIME SERIES For Forest & Bird’s young conservationists

New ZEaland is a land of manu | birds

Pūkeko | Swamphen | Porphyrio melanotus Rarity: 1 (not threatened) 1

2

3

Impacted by pests: 1

2

3

4

5

4

5

Number of babies in a year: 4-6 Lifespan: Up to 9 years

6

eggs

bird. Arrived in Probably our most recognised native from Australia.

Aotearoa about thousand years ago well to new Unlike many native birds, they adapt habitats.

Find new Wild Cardz on DOC pages 21 and 27.

For game play, go to kcc.org.nz/ activities.

We have over 200 native species living today.

They are diverse (there is a real mix of them), and lots have ancient origins.

Many species are endemic. They’re found nowhere else in the world. Others differ from their relatives overseas because they have developed unique features. That’s due to living here in Aotearoa and our isolation from other places.

Discover our ancient birds – both living and extinct.

Learn how you can help our manu!

A number of our unusual birds have become extinct since the arrival of humans, and we have a large amount who are endangered, threatened, and rare.

Did you know that birds are a type of dinosaur? n

n

n

This is an artis’ impresion of Ilustration: re F d Wierum Rebeca Hatch EDITOR:

Rob Di Leva, Dileva Design

ART DIRECTO/SIGNER: PRINTG: :REVOC

2 d l i W hT ni sg

Webstar, Auckland Rifleman

• ISSN 2230-2565

Steve Richards

Velociraptor mongoliensis .

To join KCC and receive Wild Things, or to receive our free E-news, go to www.kcc.org.nz.

Wild Things is published by Forest & Bird, Phone 04 385 7374, Email office@forestandbird.org.nz PO Box 631, Wellington 6140.

Copyright: All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of Forest & Bird.

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

n

Feathers evolved as a body covering in dinosaurs. Many dinosaurs had feathers.

Walking on two legs, having feathers, laying eggs, and warmbloodedness are all things birds have inherited as dinosaurs.

Birds belong to the theropod group of dinosaurs, which included T. rex and velociraptor.

The most bird-like dinosaurs lived in the late Jurassic period.

Make yourself

Epic Talons like a pouākai | Haast’s eagle This magnificent bird of prey had claws that were 9cm long – that’s as large as those of a tiger! No wonder they could take down giant moa…

Te Papa

Start with an A4 piece of paper Step ➊

Step ➎

Step ➋

Step ➌

Step ➍

Step ➏

Then rotate

Then turn it over

Step ➐

iW ld Things Issue ,651 Aug .20 Published by Forest & Bird

Step ➑

©

Tuck the point in here

Find video instructions on our website kcc.org.nz Search “talons”

3

360 cm 350 340 330 320 310 300

Did you know…

that moa came in 9 different sizes?

290 280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190

How would you arrange the moa?

Download the illustrations from our website kcc.org.nz. Search “moa”.

Lay them out the way you think they’ll look best (get creative!) and show us your mahi. Go in the draw to win a mystery moa prize. kccinbox@forestandbird.org.nz Closes 7 October 2022.

Kuranui | North Island giant moa – female 300cm tall

180 170 160 150

Moa waewae taumaha | Heavy-footed moa – up to 120cm tall

140 130 120 110 100

Moa koukou | Crested moa – up to 150cm tall Moa mōmona | Eastern moa – 73–99cm tall

90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Wild Things

Moa pukepuke | Upland moa – 65–90cm tall

Illustrations: Studio C Design

360 cm 350 340 330 320 310 300 290

Moa nunui | South Island giant moa – female up to 360cm tall

280 270 260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100

Moariki | Little bush moa – 50–90cm tall

90

Moa ruarangi | Mantell’s moa – 54cm tall

80 70 60 50

Moa hakahaka | Stout-legged moa – 52–103cm tall

40 30

©

20

Wild Things

Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

5

Challenge Patai

Build the biggest moa

Model the moa on the moa nunui

An adult female South Island giant moa is the tallest bird ever recorded!

Stack-a-moa Stack boxes to construct your moa.

What’s the biggest moa you can build?

Any building technique will do, but to give you some ideas you could...

Tape-a-moa Roll up and tape newspapers to create your moa.

Stuff-a-moa Draw your moa on a large sheet of paper, staple the edges, and stuff with filling.

Ladder-a-moa Use a ladder as a frame for your moa. © Wild Things sI sue ,651 Aug .20 Published by o F rest & Bird

Send in a photo of your mahi to kccinbox@forestandbird.org.nz – with evidence of how big your moa is – and be in the draw to win a mystery moa prize!

Closes 7 October 2022.

6 Wild hT ings

A treasured

bird Long gone but never forgotten...

Huia were sacred to Māori and prized by early Pākehā in Aotearoa.

For Māori, huia tail feathers were tapu and had mana. Worn on the head by people of high status, they stood for wisdom and dignity. They were also traded for other taonga, worn during war and at tangi, and gifted in friendship or in respect. They were so special they were kept safe in carved treasure boxes called waka huia.

Huia. Te Papa (OR.064)

The last huia seen alive were two males and a female on 28 December 1907.

Hunting played a big part, but it was mostly habitat loss and introduced predators that caused them to go extinct.

Waka huia, circa 1899. MAS Museum aan de stroom

For Pākehā, it was all about the remarkable beaks.

Male and female huia had beaks so different from each other in size and shape that it seemed like they were two different species of bird. Pākehā wore the wonderous beaks as jewellery, and collected the birds to show them off in museums and collections around the world.

Huia weren’t lost without a fight. Māori put rāhui in place to help numbers to build up, and they were hunted with protocols. Ngāti Huia got protected status for huia through colonial law in the late 19th century.

The extinction of the huia happened as the attitudes of Pākehā to native species were changing. Not long after, Forest & Bird was set up as a conservation group.

Huia are one of our extinct birds people most wish could be brought back.

Huia beak brooch, circa 190. Te Papa (GH00375)

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

7

In the

Mailbox Our specifavourite es

Ruru | Morepork

by Mae (9)

Ruru, kākāpō, and kiwi by Yohanna (11)

Poaka | Pied stilt by Leila (6 when she drew it, but now 7)

© iW ld Things s I sueb uP.20 guA,651 lisheby d o F restiB& rd

Kōtare | Kingfisher

by Zoe (8) Pīwakawaka | Fantail by Jania (9)

8 iWihTngld s

ONLINE EXHIBITION:

ANCIENT NEW ZEALAND

SQUAWKZILLA AND THE GIANTS

IllustrationTom Simpson (artoftomsimpson.com)

canterburymuseum.com/ancient-new-zealand-squawkzilla-and-the-giants Over the last 20 years, palaeontologists (scientists who study the remains of ancient living things) have been excavating or digging up sites near Waipara, North Canterbury, and St Bathans, Central Otago.

These areas are rich in fossils, and what scientists have found has given us a remarkable snapshot of birds living in Aotearoa New Zealand in the distant past.

© Widl Thsgni Issue ,651 Aug .20 u P blished by o F rest & Bird

WAIPARA

Look over the page for just a taster of some of the amazing ancient birds that have been found at these dig sites so far.

ST BATHANS

Visit this exhibition on your device to find out even more.

A scaled-down version of this exhibition will tour Canterbury libraries from August.

9

Waipara site In the upper reaches of the Waipara River, North Canterbury, fossils dating back 62 million years have been found in a layer of sedimentary rock known as the Waipara Greensand.

Waipara giant penguin Crossvallia waiparensis

Stood 1.6 metres tall (about the size of an average woman) and weighed between 70kg and 80kg!

Ruth’s bony-toothed bird

A Southern tropicbird

Protodontopteryx ruthae

The oldest known tropicbird species.

Belong to an extinct family called pelagornithids. The fossil found at Waipara is the oldest bony-toothed bird ever found! Until this skeleton was described, pelagornithids were thought to have evolved in the Northern Hemisphere.

1 2 3

Panga | Puzzles

4 5

6

Find the answers in the Waipara part of the exhibition.

10 Wild hT ings

St Bathans site Lake Manuherikia covered much of the Maniototo Plains of Central Otago.

At 5600km2 this lake was nine times the size of Lake Taupō! Fossils found here date back 20 million years.

St Bathans kiwi

Proapteryx micromeros A tiny species of kiwi. About the size of a pigeon! May have been able to fly. Identified from just three bones.

Giant parrot

Manuherikia duck

The world’s largest parrot. It probably couldn’t fly. Mainly vegetarian but may have eaten meat. Nickname is Squawkzilla!

Most common bird at Lake Manuherikia. Size of our modern pārera | grey duck.

Had large saltwater glands so it could live in both freshwater and saltwater.

Heracles inexpectatus

Manuherikia lacustrine

Illustrations: Canterbury Museum (CC BY-NC 4.0)

pro = ascia = rostratus = Find the answers in the St Bathans part of the exhibition.

11

Issue ,651 Aug .20 u P blished by o F rest & Bird

DOWN 1 The layer of sedimentary rock where fossils dating back 62 million years have been found.

3 Scientists who dig up and study the fossilised remains of creatures.

4 This name comes from Māori words meaning after and water bird.

5 This bird stood 1.6 metres tall and weighed between 70kg and 80kg.

Wild h T ings

The St Bathans Adzebill is from a bizarre group of recently extinct flightless birds only found in Aotearoa New Zealand. Its species name, proasciarostratus , comes from three Latin words.

What do they mean?

©

ACROSS 2 This animal was more than 3 metres long and weighed as much as a cow.

6 This is one of the oldest named bird species in the world.

©

Oldest on the land

Wild Things Issue 156, u A g 2022. u P blished by o F rest & iB rd

These birds evolved in ancient forests during the time of the dinosaurs.

They are all endemic and are rather unusual...

Our wrens

Our New Zealand wrens belong to the family Acanthisittidae [pronounced: A-canthiss-tid-eye]. It is a family of birds so ancient that they have no close likeness to any other living bird. They are also quite different birds from one another.

NZ wrens have been in Aotearoa longer than moa and kiwi. Their family tree goes back further than any other songbirds in the world, and they are the “link” (the species halfway in the evolutionary line) between parrots and songbirds.

There were seven species, but we only have two left now – the titipounamu | rifleman and the pīwauwau | rock wren.

Despite only weighing 6g – that’s the same as a pencil – the titipounamu cannot fly very well.

This is unusual for songbirds.

Craig McKenzie

Pīwauwau is New Zealand’s only true alpine bird. They stick it out and remain above the treeline even in winter, when all the other birds move down to lower elevations.

Did you know…

that scientists thought that Aotearoa was all underwater 21–25 million years ago?

ld 12 iW Things

Studying the DNA of our wrens proved this WRONG.

Craig McKenzie

Dianne Mason

Unlike other birds, kākā kick their young out of the nest before they can fly.

Kākāpō are the world’s only flightless parrot. They do lek breeding, which is unusual for parrots too. This is when the males all come together to put on displays for females – BOOM!

Luc Hoogenstein

Our parrots We have a family of parrots in Aotearoa called Strigopidae [pronounced Strig-op-id-eye]. Their ancestors started to become different to other parrots around 82 million years ago, when Zealandia broke off Gondwanaland.

Living today are kākā, kea, and kākākō. © Wild Things Issue 156, u A g 2022. u P blished by o F rest & iB rd

The orange feathers of a kea can be seen in the UV spectrum that birds and insects can see but we can’t!

Kea are the world’s smartest parrots. They outscored gibbons (a type of ape) in intelligence tests run at the University of Canterbury.

Craig McKenzie

13

North Island kōkako is always

hauntingly beautiful, but what it actually sounds like varies from region to region. It’s like they have dialects.

Our wattlebirds Our wattlebirds are among our most ancient flying birds, belonging to a family called Callaeidae [pronounced cal-lee-id-eye]. For flying birds though, they aren’t very good at flying!

Their ancestors (which include the ancestor of the hihi) may have been on the landmass that split from Gondwana to become NZ. The huia was one of our wattlebirds but is now extinct.

In M>ori legend, the kākako filled its wattles with water and brought it to Maui as he tried to slow the sun.

Janice McKenna

What’s the difference?

Like parrots, tīeke will sometimes hold food with one foot and tear it apart with their bill.

The North Island tīeke has a buffcoloured line here.

North Island saddleback

14 iW Things dl

Craig McKenzie

South Island saddleback Thibaud Aronson

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

The song of the

Help find the kōka | South Island kōkako

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

This NZ wattlebird is data decient – which means we don’t know whether it is extinct or not. The search is on to find “the grey ghost”, and it’s urgent. If there are any left, there won’t be many. If we can find them, we can protect them.

Join the search! Find out how at southislandkokako.org

Get ready for the competition

Tips and Tricks for Oscar (22) has been advocating for kōkākō since he was 12. He campaigned in 2015 and 2016.

In 2016, kōkākō won!

Getting involved in Bird of the Year (BOTY) is great fun, AND it’s also a great way to help birds. Why? The more people we get to know and care about our brilliant birds, the more they’ll want to protect them!

Oscar Thomas, George Hobson, and Michael Burton-Smith are all bird lovers and seasoned BOTY campaigners. Here are their best tips and tricks to help you to get your bird winning the competition.

Pick a bird that you geniunely love with all your heart – your number 1

George (18) loves pohowera | banded dotterels. He campaigned for them from 2016 to 2019. He was 13 when he started.

Bandie came 4th in 2019.

Enthusiasm helps you to campaign for your bird and gets people to listen to what you have to say. Know why your bird matters to you.

Why banded dotterel?

“They’re floofy, They’re adorable, They need our help!” George

Hatch a plan

Tell absolutely everyone you know to vote for your bird Spread the word anywhere, anytime, to anyone who will listen!

The most essential aspect of any great campaign is planning. Start a brainstorm to plan what you’re going to do, and prepare for a long two weeks of nail-biting fun!

Get your family, school, clubs, and local community behind you and your bird to start.

Michael (20) successfully got rowi into the BOTY competition in 2018 when he was 16. He’ll be campaigning again in 2022.

16 Wild Things

Use social media (with adult support if you’re under 13). See if you can get into the media (newsletters, newspapers, radio, TV) – this can really boost votes!

Represent your bird

©

Be a visible part of your campaign. People love it when young people get behind a bird.

Use this to your advantage!

Wild Things Issue ,651 Aug .20 Published by Forest & Bird

Campaigners Alliances Has your bird got something in common with other birds in the competition? With the way BOTY voting works now (where you pick five birds instead of just one), it can pay to “team up” to campaign together with others and get more votes for your birds.

Meme by Albatross for Bird of the eY ar #VoteToroa

Engaging photos, graphics, and videos

Meme by South Island Kokako for Bird of the year 2022

Competitions and supporter gear

It’s very rare that your bird will win BOTY on the first year you campaign for it, especially if you’ve chosen one that needs more attention and more love.

Keep backing your bird and campaign for it each year. This will help build up support.

Wild ThingsIssue ,651 Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Previous gear by teams Vote Kōkako, Vote Hoiho, and Vote Toroa

Keep campaigning ©

Holding competitions with prizes can be a great technique to reel in potential voters. You can ask companies to sponsor you with prizes to give away. BOTY teams have had lots of fun designing t-shirts, hats, and bags for voters to collect and wear.

Collect together high quality images and footage of your bird (make sure you have permission to use them). Use them as they are to show off your bird’s best features, and remix them in fun and funny ways that will appeal to voters (like making memes).

17

Which

should I pick?

Remember you get five choices! Not all have to come from the same group. Looking for other options? Go to birdoftheyear.org.nz for the full list of competitors.

I like my birds…

round

Ewwww...

Are nests out of

From eating berries?

And a thief?

Finders keepers!

I’d rather them whistle Whio

loud

Like, really bright?

colourful Pick a kiwi

full of sugar Tūī

floofy

Korimako | Bellbird

Tauhou | Silvereye

Night

Parties day or night?

Day confident in water

to travel

teeny-tiny

Kōtuku ngutupapa | Spoonbill

With long elegant legs?

Far

Far or fast?

Fast

How to you feel about hopping?

Hip hop, you don’t stop...

I prefer climbing

secretive

18 Wild Things

Mātātā | Fernbird

Pūweto | Spotless crake

Matuku | Bittern

Moho pererū | Banded rail

Tutukiwi | Subantarctic snipe

© iW ld Things

Nom nom nom...

Miromiro | Tomtit

Ngutu-pare | Wrybill

Kōkako

Kea

Kākā

Pīpīwharauroa | Shining cuckoo

Rob the nest bounds?

Stick with the shiny and food

Weka

Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Takahē

Kererū

Primary and secondary colours!

More neutrals please...

Kōtare | Kingfisher

Pohowera | Banded dotterel

Mohua | Yellowhead

Kākāriki karaka | Orangefronted parakeet

Pūtangitangi | Paradise duck

Tīeke | Saddleback

Ruru

Nice!

Pīwakawaka | Fantail

Kakī | Black stilt

Matuku moana | Reef heron

Tarāpuka | Black-billed gull

Tākapu | Gannet

Kāruhiruhi | Pied shag

Toroa | Antipodean albatross

Kuaka | Bar-tailed godwit

Koekoeā | Long-tailed cuckoo

Kāhu | Harrier hawk

Kārearea | Falcon

I’d prefer a waddler...

Kororā | Little penguin

Titipounamu | Rifleman

Riroriro | Grey warbler

Pīwauwau | Rock wren

Hihi | Stitchbird

Kakaruia | Black robin

Thanks Darren Van Hoof, F&B Regional Conservation Manager for your help!

Rock hopper

In the

Mailbox Our specifavourite es

Pīwakawaka | Fantail

by Lucia (10)

Kōtare | Kingfisher

by Poppy (10) Barn owl by Mia (7)

Kārearea | NZ falcon by Conor (7)

20 Wild Things ©

Kea by Emma (8)

Wild ThingsIssue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Pārera | Grey duck | Anas superciliosa

Tūturiwhatu | New Zealand dotterel/plover | Charadrius obscurus

Rarity: 4 (nationally vulnerable)

Rarity: 3 (recovering) 1

2

3

1 4

5

6

Impacted by pests: 1

2

3

5

These shore birds are found on sandy beaches, sand spits, or feeding in tidal estuaries. They are very territorial and will charge at intruders who come near their nests – whatever the size! They are also good actors. They’ll fake an injury to distract the predator from their nest.

Keith Martin-Smith

2

3

3

5

Until about 1960, pārera made up 95% of our “dabbling” ducks. Now there are only 500,000 of them, compared with 5 million mallards! One of the reasons grey ducks are threatened is that they are breeding with mallards and becoming hybridised.

1 4

5

6

4

5

The variable oystercatcher has different colour morphs.

Some are all black, some have white splotchs, and some have white bellies.

They have been protected since 1906.

2

3

4

5

4

5

6

Impacted by pests: 1

Number of babies in a year: 2–3 eggs Lifespan: Up to 27 years

J Harrison

2

Rarity: 3 (declining)

Impacted by pests: 1

4

6

Tarāpunga | Red-billed gull | Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae

Rarity: 3 (recovering) 3

5

vincesap

Tōrea pango | Variable oystercatcher | Haematopus unicolor 2

4

Number of babies in a year: 8–10 eggs Lifespan: 7–10 years

Number of babies in a year: 4–6 eggs Lifespan: About 12 years

1

3

Impacted by pests: 1

4

2

2

3

Number of babies in a year: 2 eggs Lifespan: On average, 6–9 years The commonest gull on the New Zealand coast, but there is also a colony at Lake Rotorua. It’s a subspecies of the silver gull, which also lives in Australia.

They have adapted well to living in urban areas, but predators like cats and rats, and climate change, are making it hard for them to breed.

Michal Klajban

Great crested grebes

Lake Wanaka has some pretty black birds, with orange feathers on their necks and a black crest on top of their head. They are called pūteketeke | great crested grebes. Lots of people walking by think they are ducks, but in actual fact they are more related to albatross and penguins than ducks.

So what makes these ancient diving birds so special?

By Kahukura (age 8) n

They can’t walk easily on land.

Their legs are so far back on their body that when they do walk on land, they always topple over. They’re vulnerable because they can’t run fast enough to get away from predators, such as dogs.

n

They are very rare. Wanaka is one of the few places where you can find them.

Unfortunately, there are fewer than 400 pairs in New Zealand. John Darby made pretty platforms for them to nest on in the water. Because the platforms were chained in place, their homes could cope better with water rising and falling in the lake. Before they were easily destroyed or washed away. Between October 2013 and February 2020, 570 eggs were laid but only 256 chicks hatched.

n

Vote for me in BOTY 2022

Once grebe chicks hatch, their parents feed the babies some of their feathers to make sure pointy sharp fish bones don’t stab them!

I got to meet John Darby by chance while visiting the grebes in Wanaka last December. He’s the man who has brought these birds back to Lake Wanaka. I also saw them doing their peculiar nesting.

A few days later, they put their babies on their back and leave the area. n

They’re shrouded in mystery.

Some people think they can fly, but they only fly at night, so very few people have actually seen them fly…

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

23

Polly Pekapeka

helps with the great translocation!

Pōpokotea | Whitehead are very special birds, and Forest & Bird has the power to help them live in a wonderful place called Bushy Park Tarapuruhi. A specialised team of bird experts went out into the field to safely catch, band, and release over 50 pōpokotea. Of course, Polly had to come along, since she is a bird expert! She did win Bird Of the Year, after all.

Park Manager Mandy Brooke and Bird Specialist Kevin Parker with Polly as they start their journey.

After walking in the forest for what felt like ages, the team stops to set up a mist net in order to safely catch the pōpokotea.

Thanks to the bird experts playing their bird calls, and patiently waiting for the birds to come, we caught one! Now, what happens next happens very quickly. This is to make sure the birds stay calm and safe.

Get your tools all ready! You’ll need them to help the birds get ready for their new home.

Can you match the steps to the photos on the next page?

Step ➊ Weigh the bird.

Step ➌ Tag the bird so you know

Step ➎ Bring all the caught birds

Step ➋

Step ➍ Put it in the carrier case

Step ➏ Release the birds!

Wild 24 Wild Things

Measure the bird.

where it came from. to be transported.

to the fenced reserve.

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Thanks Alina Huff for helping Polly to report from the field!

Step

Step

BUSHY PARK

•

Step

Step

Special device to put on the tags without hurting the birds! © Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Step Step

25

Quirky Birds A poem by Emma

One Kiwi struts down the bushy runway, Out at night, rarely seen in the day.

How did they get here? We don’t know, But they’ve been here since long long ago.

New Zealand famous, why yes they are, We love them, they’re a kiwi rock star!

Kea oh Kea so proud and staunch, Ready for take-off, ready to launch.

Deconstructing whatever they please, Laughing at all the tourists they tease.

On beetles and seeds they like to dine, That’s why they live in the great Alpine.

Our hefty but beautiful Kererū, Feasting on berries, watch out for their poo.

It’s a fancy pants pigeon, wings like a plane, Sitting and staring, they enjoy the slow lane.

Swaying and waving high up in the trees, When predators near the Kererū flees.

aotearoabooks.co.nz/little-brown-weka

26 Wild Things

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Emma’s poem is published in this awesome new pukapuka too.

© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

These are a few of our native birds, Keep the peace, leave them undisturbed.

We love them all and they are part of our lives, We need to ensure they continue to thrive.

Tara iti | NZ fairy tern | Sterna nereis

Pūkeko | Swamphen | Porphyrio melanotus

Rarity: 5 (nationally critical)

Rarity: 1 (not threatened)

1

2

3

4

5

4

5

6

Impacted by pests: 1

2

3

1

2

3

4

5

4

5

6

Impacted by pests: 1

2

3

Number of babies in a year: 1–2 eggs Lifespan: On average, less than 10 years

Number of babies in a year: 4-6 eggs Lifespan: Up to 9 years

Probably our most endangered native breeding bird.

Only 45 birds with 12 breeding pairs left. Only live in lower half of Northland Peninsula.

Probably our most recognised native bird. Arrived in Aotearoa about a thousand years ago from Australia.

Unlike many native birds, they adapt well to new habitats.

Lancelot239 (iNaturalistNZ)

DOC

Hoiho | Yellow-eyed penguin | Megadyptes antipodes

Weweia | NZ dabchick | Poliocephalus rufopectus

Rarity: 4 (nationally endangered)

Rarity: 3 (Nationally increasing )

1

2

3

4

5

4

5

6

Impacted by pests: 1

2

3

1

2

3

4

5

4

5

6

Impacted by pests: 1

2

3

Number of babies in a year: 2 eggs Lifespan: Around 23 years

Number of babies in a year: 2–3 eggs Lifespan: 10–15 years

One of the world’s rarest penguins. It might also be the most ancient of living penguin species. Lives in the South Island and the Sub-Antarctic Islands. The amount of hoiho living in the South Island has decreased by 65% over the past 20 years.

Likes freshwater lakes, especially those in the central North Island (Taupō and Rotorua). Extinct in the South Island. By changing the angle of its feathers, it can control how much it floats – a bit like a submarine!

DOC

DOC

Conservation

Heroes

Emilie (age 7) and her mummy have been on an epic adventure.

They have walked across New Zealand on Te Araroa trail. It took them 138 days, and they walked 2100km (they had to skip the top half of the North Island due to lockdown). All the while, they fundraised for our mountains and for mental health – tino pai!

Emilie has had lots of experiences with native birds while on her journey: Once my Mum and I were walking through the bush when we heard birds screaming. We saw a stoat climbing along a branch in a tall tree. The birds were so upset. My Mummy whacked her hiking poles against a tree and yelled at the stoat, which was a bit funny, but then the stoat came down the tree and ran away into the bushes. Did you know predators kill around 25 million native birds a year? Isn’t that terrible?

When we were having lunch in the mountains near Arthur’s © Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Pass, we saw a rock moving towards us. Then we realised it was a kea! He was very handsome, with green and brown feathers and a big sharp beak. We sat down to watch him, and he came very close to us and tried to eat my Mum’s hiking poles. It’s important not to scare them or leave your things lying around because kea could try to eat them. When we reported our sighting to the Kea Database, we found out he’s a very old bird who is more than 16 years old!

See more of Emilie’s journey on Instagram @adventures_with_emilie We saw a bunch of tiny riflemen in a bush and a family of weka with their two adorable chicks with long legs and fluffy bodies.

Robins, tomtits, and fantails were my favourites because they would follow us around when tramping.

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Polly Pekapeka Adventures

Our Manu of the Year 2021 is looking for adventure, so she’s off visiting KCCers around Aotearoa – and beyond. Read about her adventures in full at kcc.org.nz/polly-pekapeka-adventures.

East Argyll School took Polly to play at their wetland and the Mangaotai Stream. They also made bat boxes and scouted out places for Polly to roost.

Finn (6) took Polly on his family camping trip to Mangawhai and the Bay of Islands.

Lily (7) and Jack (age 10) took Polly to visit Cave Rock at Matuku Takotako | Sumner Beach. Lily also made Polly her own cave.

Izri (5) took Polly to Pelorus to try to see other pekapeka. They drove a boat, went to the beach, and saw big vehicles at Founder’s Park.

Isla (6) took Polly to visit Aniwhenua Falls near Galatea.

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Ellie (6), Tilly, Rosa, and Drew took Polly to visit Ōruapaeroa | Travis Wetland, New Brighton Pier, and Pūtaringamotu | Riccarton Bush.

Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Sawyer (7) took Polly on his roadtrip to Queenstown. They stopped at Lake Tekapo, Lake Pukaki, and the Clay Cliffs at Omarama. They then flew to Milford Sounds, did a cruise where they were splashed by waterfalls and saw seals.

Jessica (11) took Polly to pick blackberries and made apple and foraged blackberry crumble to eat – yum!

Odette (10) took Polly to visit the special birds of Manukau Harbour at the Foreshore Bird Sanctuary.

Ardan (6) took Polly to visit Awaroa | Godley Head. They had a big walk and picnic.

Aria (8) took Polly to the centre of New Zealand and Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.

Karoro School took Polly on adventures around their school, including to their bush area. She got to have a turn on the school parachute!

Hazel (10) took Polly gardening at school and to play in the trees in her backyard. They saw an eclipse together!

Zoe (8) took Polly on the train into Auckland City and scootering to the Port.

Nina (age 6) is living on Lord Howe Island (near Australia) at the moment. She took Polly to see her Dad’s biosecurity dog, the sights, and some of the animals and plants that live on the island.

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© Wild Things Issue 156, Aug 2022. Published by Forest & Bird

Paige (age 6) and Emily (8) took Polly to visit Zealandia Ecosanctuary and to a Hurricanes rugby game.

What I do in nature…

SHARE YOUR STORIES WITH US TOO!

When Sam was 4 (he’s 5 now), he went to Percy Scenic Reserve in Lower Hutt as part of Imagine Childcare’s Bush Club programme each week.

“On Bush Club we do not hurt the plants. We play at the climbing place and at the waterfall. I want to go there every single day! Climbing is the best part of Bush Club, and I love the waterfall.”

© Wild ThingsIseus ,651 Aug .20 dehsilbuP y tseroF & driB

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