Birds at Tangiaro
North Island Brown Kiwi
Filmed here at Tangairo Kiwi Retreat
Birds at Tangiaro Kiwi RetreatWe are passionate about New Zealand native birds.
Here at Tangiaro Kiwi Retreat, the bush still echos with the primal calls of unusual birds and insects. In fact the Tangiaro Valley has one of the highest Kiwi call rates in the North Island – there is a good chance you’ll hear this unique call yourself during your stay with us at Tangiaro. Banded Rail, Kaka, Tui, Kereru (Wood Pigeon), King Fisher and Fantail, can regularly been seen & heard from the Restaurant/Café' deck. We ask that you respect the work we are doing to bring back the numbers of endangered New Zealand Native birds like the North Island Brown Kiwi. Please no dogs or cats and remember drive slowly. Enjoy! |
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KiwiNorth Island Brown Kiwi:
Conservation status: Declining The only kiwi in the wild in the North Island. Widespread in native forest and scrub, pine forests, rough farmland from sea level to 1400 m north of the Manawatu Gorge. Flightless, with tiny vestigial wings and no tail. Nocturnal, therefore more often heard than seen. Male gives a repeated high-pitched ascending whistle, female gives a deeper throaty cry. Dark brown, streaked lengthways with reddish brown and black. Feather tips feel spiky. Long pale bill, short dark legs and toes, often with dark claws. There are over 50 wild kiwi on the Tangiaro property, one of the highest kiwi populations on privately-owned land in the northern Coromandel. Three of them have been monitored (remotely & electronically), and valuable insight is gained by the monitoring of these birds. These kiwi are the only monitored kiwi in the far northern Coromandel. This is fully funded by Tangiaro Kiwi Treat, and includes 6 monthly health checks. |
North Island brown Kiwi:
Press play to hear the call of the Kiwi.
Often heard at Tangairo Kiwi Treat at dusk or throughout the night |
Wood Pigeon - KERERUOther names: kererū, kereru, kukupa, kuku, wood pigeon, native pigeon, kokopa.
This large and distinctively-coloured pigeon is a familiar sight to many New Zealanders. This is because the New Zealand pigeon (or kereru) has a widespread distribution through the country, being present in extensive tracts of native forest, and rural and urban habitats, including most cities. As well as allowing close approach, it often roosts conspicuously, such as on powerlines or on the tops of trees. The distinctive sound of its wing beats in flight also draws attention. Kereru also frequently feature on works of art, such as paintings and sculptures. |
Wood Pigeon
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Tui
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Other names: parson bird, tūī, koko
Tui have a beauitful song and are popular here at Tangiora Kiwi Treat. Tui are boisterous, medium-sized, common and widespread bird of forest and suburbia. They look black from a distance, but in good light tui have a blue, green and bronze iridescent sheen, and distinctive white throat tufts (poi). They are usually very vocal, with a complicated mix of tuneful notes interspersed with coughs, grunts and wheezes. In flight, their bodies slant with the head higher than the tail, and their noisy whirring flight is interspersed with short glides. |
New Zealand Tui
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MoreporkOther names: ruru, boobook, New Zealand owl
The morepork is a small, dark, forest-dwelling owl. Found in both native and plantation forests, its distinctive “more-pork” call is commonly heard at night in many urban parks and well-vegetated suburbs. Moreporks are relatively common throughout much of New Zealand but are sparse through the eastern and central South Island. Their diet consists of insects, small mammals and birds, which it hunts at night. |
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FantailOther names: fantail, pīwakawaka, piwakawaka, grey fantail, pied fantail, black fantail, tīrairaka, tirairaka.
The fantail is one of New Zealand’s best known birds, with its distinctive fanned tail and loud song, and particularly because it often approaches within a metre or two of people. Its wide distribution and habitat preferences, including frequenting well-treed urban parks and gardens, means that most people encounter fantails occasionally. They can be quite confiding, continuing to nest build or visit their nestlings with food when people watch quietly. |
Press play to hear
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BellbirdOther names: New Zealand bellbird, korimako, makomako, mockie, bell bird.
Their song is a welcome sound in mainland forests that otherwise may have little native bird song. Although they have a brush-like tongue which is used to reach deeply into flowers to reach nectar, bellbirds also feed on fruits and insects. In feeding on nectar they play an important ecological role in pollinating the flowers of many native trees and shrubs. Subsequently, when feeding on the fruits that result from this pollination they have a role in dispersing the seeds, and so they assist in the regeneration of the forest in at least two ways. Bellbirds are green with a short, curved bill, slightly forked tail, and noisy whirring, fast and direct flight |
Press play to hear
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Banded railOther names: mioweka, konini, kata tei, moho-pererū, buff-banded rail
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RiflemanOther names: tītitipounamu, titipounamu.
North Island rifleman (At Risk/Declining). |
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California QuailOther names: Australian brown quail, kuera
Geographical variation: New Zealand brown quail are of the subspecies Coturnix ypsilophora australis from mainland Australia. |
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