The Weird and Wonderful Birds of New Zealand

The Kaki (Black Stilt)

This little guy is critically endangered, with an estimated 80 - 90 adults surviving in the wild (though it did get down to as low as 23). Adults are completely black, but have red legs and eyes - their youngins are white and black until about 18 months of age. They like to hang out in braided river systems and used to live in lots of places throughout New Zealand. Nowadays, if you know where to look, you can only find them in the Mackenzie region of the South Island. They also mate for life - aww! There are massive efforts being made to help manage the survival of these little wading birds.
Image courtesy of http://www.jonathanharrodphotography.com

The Kea

The word's only alpine parrot - AND they're super intelligent. These guys are by far my favourite bird here in New Zealand, and that is mostly because they're incredibly cheeky. They will rip the rubber or antenna off your car, and steal your stuff - their beaks are super strong and they can do a lot of damage. They are social, nomadic birds and if you are in alpine areas of the South Island it may appear as though they are numerous. But, wild populations are only estimated between 1,000 - 5,000.
Image courtesy of http://www.gettyimages.co.nz/

The Pukeko (Purple Swamphen)

Probably one of the most iconic New Zealand birds, the Pukeko is the New Zealand subspecies of the Purple Swamphen, which can be found throughout Australasia. It's estimated that the Pukeko found its way here around 1000 years ago. Sent to the swamps by Tane Mahuta because he was unwilling to help, this odd looking guy likes to hang out in swampland (obviously) and has pretty unusual living arrangements. Up to six or seven birds will live in a community, with females laying in the same nest and they will often practice homosexuality (both sexes). All adults may share the upbringing of the chicks. It can fly but far prefers to run. They are considered to be rather idiotic and cheeky.
Image courtesy of http://paradisenz.net/pukeko/

The Kiwi

Potentially one of the weirdest birds out there, essentially the Kiwi is a walking rugby ball, and from whom New Zealanders get their nickname. There are five different species of Kiwi, though some of those have different forms. Considered critically endangered, this guy is nocturnal, has nostril at the end of its beak (apparently that's weird for a bird), whiskers and claws designed for ripping through the undergrowth. Maori mythology tells that the Kiwi could once fly and had beautiful plumage, but gave it up to help Tane Mahuta (god of the forests) protect his trees by eating all the bugs in the undergrowth. Kiwis mate for life, and it's the males that sit on the nest - which is fair enough, given that the egg is proportionally larger than almost all other birds. Interestingly, baby Kiwis are never fed by their parents; they are expected to go and forage by themselves at around five days old.
Image courtesy of http://www.doc.govt.nz

The Kakapo

Infamous for its sexual assault of Mark Carwardine, the Kakapo is the heaviest parrot in the world - consequently, it's flightless. This intelligent, very cheeky parrot is nocturnal and can be found on the forest floor rummaging around the undergrowth using its camouflage colouring to best effect; they can walk up to several kilometres a night. Though the Kakapo is flightless, they're incredibly good at climbing trees using their claws and beaks. Unfortunately, there are only 120 - 130 Kakapo remaining in the wild. They have a super weird mating system called 'lek mating' where the males use hollowed out bowls from the earth, and using their air sacs, use their low frequency 'booms' to call for females. Expectedly, they're the only bird known to do this.
Image courtesy of Mark Carwardine/Getty Images.

The Ruru (Morepork)

The Morepork is the only remaining natIve owl in New Zealand, though it has very close cousins in Tasmania (Australia). They are known for their rather haunting call. They're not endangered, but they're pretty damn cute. They're a fairly small owl with large, bright yellow eyes. Naturally, they're nocturnal and carnivorous. Maori mythology considers the Morepork to be connected to the otherworld and they are often considered to be guardians/guides.
Image courtesy of DigitalTrails (Flickr)

The Kekeru (New Zealand Wood Pigeon

Currently not threatened, but completely protected, the Kekeru is one of two native pigeons in New Zealand (the other is confined to the Chatam Islands). This is another of my favourite birds because it is simply stunning. These birds are quite large and are one of the biggest pollinators of native New Zealand fauna as their bill is big enough to enable them to swallow the larger fruit. In 2010 there was a nationwide outrage because a tourist posted a youtube video showing himself killing three Kekeru, and killing protected wildlife can come with a fine of up to $100,000 or a year in prison. We don't muck around when it comes to our native wildlife in New Zealand.
Image courtesy of Runner_1 (flickr)

The Tui

Visually the Tui pretty spectacular, and they fill a really awesome ecological niche, as they are from the Honeyeater family - which means, like the Kekeru, they are pollinators. They have a beautiful call, can make sounds beyond our hearing and can even imitate human speech. Male Tui are also super aggressive in regards to territory, but it's okay, because they have a beer named after them. The white feathers at the Tui's throat are said to be a mark of cowardice, after it refused to come down from the trees to help Tane Mahuta.
Image courtesy of Kevin Krippner (Viewbug)

The Weka

What appears to be a love child between a Kiwi and a duck, the Weka is yet another New Zealand bird full of sass. There are four subspecies, mostly named after their location. Weka like to collect things to investigate at a later date, though they can be quite shy and will probably do it less obviously than the Kea. Like many other birds in New Zealand, they can't fly, but they have a pretty varied habitat - from forests to the seaside. They mate for life if they live with other territorial Weka, but otherwise, they're pretty easy-come-easy-go.
Image courtesy of Jonathan Astin (Flickr)

I hope you all enjoyed this... because it took me far more time than I anticipated!