Unique New Zealand animals

The 80 million year long separation from the Godwana continent led to the evolution of unique New Zealand animals. For example, 25% of birds and 90% of insects are endemic, which means they appear nowhere else. The absence of land mammals meant that birds could occupy their niche, roaming on the forest floor for food, unafraid of predators. Some nest on the floor or even lost the ability to fly, with devastating effects once mammals like Polynesian rats, dogs, possums, stoats were introduced. The normal proceedings of evolution plus 800 years of human co-existence (0.0001% of this period) were enough to extinct half of all bird species, while over 70% of all land bird species are currently threatened. Also many species of fish, bats, frogs, insects, marine mammals and reptiles are endangered. New Zealanders work hard towards conservation of these animals, sadly most numbers show a further decline. Also you as a visitor can help by volunteering in a conservation project during your stay.

Conservation programmes in predator-free reserves and wildlife centres help to keep numbers up, best achieved on offshore islands. Meanwhile also some real 'Mainland Islands' have been established, areas well protected against new intruders.

Extinct animals

• Haast‘s Eagle: The Haast Eagle was the largest bird of prey ever known, it was up to 15 kg heavy with a 3 metre wingspan. Being even a threat to humans - especially children - it was probably hunted by Maori. Because at the same time Moa were running out as a food source, they became extinct around 1400.
• Moa: The Giant Moa was an amazing 250 kg and over 3,5 metres tall, the tallest bird ever! There were 9 more species all the way down to Turkey size. Early Maori settlers concentrated on hunting Moa, understandable as it was easy to catch and one drum stick fed many people, but within 100 years the bird was extinct.
• Huia: A beautiful bird with an arched beak, its sacred feathers were worn by Maori chiefs only and during fight. It belonged to an ancient bird family that has no relatives anywhere, but has not been seen since 100 years ago.
• Giant Penguins: Extinct millions of years ago like at least 13 other New Zealand penguin species, these scary penguins were up to 1,7 m tall and weighed up to 100 kg, the tallest penguins ever.

New Zealand birds

• Kiwi: Truly unique birds, with their cute whiskers who help them find their way at night, long beaks with great smelling sense, beautiful feathers who were treasured by Maori, laying gigantic eggs compared to body size, living in burrows, with tiny wings who can’t fly and no tail. The only bird in the world with the nostrils at the tip of the beak, ideal for smelling underground worms and insects. Once grown up, it can defend itself with strong legs and claws against stoats and possums. They face their biggest threats before that though, epecially stray dogs and cars diminish adult numbers. Kiwi sanctuaries and programmes around the country try to turn around the negative population trend.

• Kakapo: The largest and only flightless parrot in the world is also one of the rarest birds of New Zealand, less than 100 surviving only on southern offshore islands. They are nocturnal (kaka = parrot, po = night), vegetarians with a good sense of smell and live over 70 years. Males compete for females in an arena by performing against others with thousands of deep booming calls and lots of wing-spreading. Unused to predators other than Haast’s Eagle and even well sheltered from them by the canopy, their motivation to defend themselves is very low, they just freeze and try not to be seen.

• Kea: The only mountain parrot in the world has grown extremely intelligent in finding food, thanks to its tough environment. They are cheeky and playful and quite the opposite of the clumsy Kakapo, sliding down roofs, making somersaults and de-constructing anything from shoes to cars, some tests claim them more intelligent than dolphins and in some places they put up Kea playgrounds and gyms to distract them for example from logging operations. Because Kea attacked and wounded sheep (to them a sort of replacement for the Moa), at least 150,000 were killed until 1970. Now less than 5,000 are left.
• Kaka: A specialised forest parrot similar to the Kea and similarly playful, they are skilled in harvesting anything from grubs to nectar. They recover very well on offshore islands, in any forest whithout stoats there is a good chance of survival.
• Kokako: One of the birds that contributed to the once magical New Zealand dawn chorus, sounding something like a jazz flute. It was once down to 350 pairs only and now slowly recovers thanks to conservation efforts. This beautiful and large bird doesn’t fly much but rather hops around the forest.
• New Zealand Falcon: A small but acrobatic and fearless hunter, with 230 km/h said to be the world’s fastest bird! His habit of sometimes nesting on the ground is partly responsible for declining numbers.
• Takahe: The biggest rail bird in the world was once thought to be extinct, now less than 200 survive in special reserves. While the related Pukeko arrived in New Zealand only a few hundred years ago, the Takahe has become totally flightless since its arrival. It actually looks like a Pukeko on steroids, with a much larger beak, body and sturdy legs.
• White Heron: Also called Great Egret and Kotuku, this beautiful bird was already extremely rare in old Maori times, their feathers adorned the heads of chiefs and early settler women’s hats. Now less than 150 birds survive in New Zealand (once down to 4 nests!), most in South Westland. But not being endemic, they are quite common elsewhere.
• Morepork: The last native owl in New Zealand is relatively common and can often be heard at night. Contrary to the New Zealand Pigeon, the flight of the Morepork is absolutely quiet, a perfect hunter of the night.
• Blue Duck: A duck without any close relatives, it is a very old species and only around 2,500 survive along the rivers of New Zealand. They are not good flyers but fast on water, being a water expert even for rapids, competing for insect larvae with introduced trout, while stoats eat their ducklings.
• Penguins: There are more penguin species in New Zealand than in any other country, the following three of them breed on the mainland. The Little Blue Penguin is the world’s smallest penguin who returns back to shore at night. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is one of the world's rarest penguins, with less than 4,000 birds, it also happens to be the most antisocial of all, nesting very far apart from each other. The beautiful Fiordland Crested Penguin survives with 3,000 breeding pairs, strangely it lays two eggs, but only one of them will ever survive.

• Tui: An iconic New Zealand bird and a real character, the nectar-eating Tui defend their Pohutukawa, Kowhai and Flax territories well and loud. Their beautiful voice ranges from magical bells to gaming machine noise, from alien high-pitched mutterings to throat clearing, some of their song is even outside our hearing frequency! They can learn to talk with human voice, mimic other birds, have a funny bundle of white feathers on their chest and seem constantly nervous even when they fly.
• Bellbird: Related to the Tui the Bellbird is also famous for its clear bell-like voice, one of the birds that constituted the legendary dawn chorus of old times. They learn their song and develop regional dialects.
• Pukeko: A bird that enjoys farmland and wetland more than forest, it likes to search for food along the roads and is infamous for looting trash bags.
• Fantail: These lovely little birds with their upright tail feathers are zooming around the bush in incredible turns, always on the hunt for insects and never resting, they constantly waggle about in curious observation. You’ll have to make up your own mind if they accompany hikers because of the disturbed insects they want to catch or because they are simply very friendly and trusting.
• New Zealand Pigeon: Also called Wood Pigeon or Kereru, they are very important to disperse the seeds of the native bush, being the only ones big enough to eat certain tree fruit. They are so big and heavy that you can hear them fly above, nonetheless they are masters at acrobatic stalls and dives (be it whether they are drunk from fermented fruit or trying to impress their mates).

New Zealand Animals ebook

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Other ebooks of interest

Travel in New Zealand - an introduction for travellers to Aotearoa, 'land of the long white cloud'.

Maori language - a short introduction for travellers and newcomers in New Zealand.