The ruru is New Zealand’s only surviving native owl. Their ‘more-pork’ call is well known across the country, at night in both forested and urban park areas. They are however uncommon in the drier, open eastern South Island.

Ruru feed mainly on insects, particularly moths, but will also feed on small birds and mammals – hunting all of these at night. They breed in spring-summer, making a nest in a dark, hidden spot. Here the females will incubate the eggs, and both adults will feed the young, until they fledge when they are around 7 weeks old.

Although relatively common, morepork are still prone to predation, particularly when nesting. Studies have found that this can lead to a bias towards males in a population.

You can always have a morepork in your garden with a Blazen.Metal morepork bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or moth inlay. 25% off for the month of December.

Bibliography

Seaton, R.; Hyde, N. 2013 [updated 2020]. Morepork. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

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The national icon, we have five species of this unusual flightless bird. Each species has a different threat ranking, ranging from nationally endangered (the southern brown kiwi) to recovering (the little spotted kiwi).

Adults over a year old are generally strong enough to fight off predators in the wild, with a strong kick. However, chicks and eggs are subject to high levels of predation, which has resulted in the current threat rankings. Conservation efforts, consisting of egg removal from nests, then hand rearing of chicks, has been successful in many places to help stabilise populations.

These birds are unique in that they are only birds in the world with nostrils at the end of their bills. They use the bill to detect earthworms and grubs beneath the surface – snuffling around the leaf litter during the night. Whilst it is rare to see kiwi in the wild in New Zealand, there are many conversation parks where they can be observed in captivity.

You can always have a kiwi in your garden with a Blazen.Metal kiwi bang’n bird. 25% off for the month of November.

Bibliography

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Bords of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

http://nzbirdsonline.org.nz/name-search?title=kiwi&field_other_names_value=kiwi&field_search_scientific_name_value=kiwi

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Weka are curious and cheeky creatures. They were once widespread throughout the country, but are now locally extinct in many places, as they are prone to predation, and also suffer due to starvation during droughts. However, in recent times, weka populations have made a comeback in many parts of the country where there is good predator control.

The birds behaviours are often found fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) to humans. They have a habit of stealing pet food, foraging in vegetable gardens, and snatching small bits and pieces. They will often approach closely, and if so, you can see their mid-brown and black plumage in detail.

When breeding, the birds will weave a nest of vegetation in a tight environment, and generally lay 2-4 eggs. The occurrence of breeding can vary from multiple times a year, to once every few years.

You can always have a weka family in your garden with a Blazen.Metal weka and chicks bang’n birds. 25% off for the month of October.

Bibliography

Beauchamp, A.J.; Miskelly, C.M. 2013 [updated 2017]. Weka. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

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The huia was the largest of New Zealand’s wattlebird species. Sadly, the introduction of mammalian predators, and to a lesser extent human hunting, lead to the demise and ultimate extinction of huia around the 1920s.

They showed the most dramatic sexual dimorphism of any bird species, with large difference in the size and shape of the bills of male and female birds. Huia lived in forested areas, where they used their bills to feed on wood-dwelling insects and their larvae. It is thought that they were distributed widely throughout the North Island, but that they were absent from the South Island.

The unique tail feathers of the huia were a prized possession by Maori, and worn as a sign of status and the birds themselves were also popular as museum pieces and collectors’ items.

Even though the huia is sadly now gone from our native bush, you can always have a huia in your garden with a Blazen.Metal huia bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or insect inlay. 25% off for the month of September.

Bibliography

Szabo, M.J. 2013. Huia. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

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New Zealand has three species of robin, the North Island; South Island; and black robin – found on the Chatham Islands. The black robin made a famous comeback from the brink of extinction – with Old Blue being the only surviving female able to lay fertile eggs. 

Their seemingly curious nature is more about foraging, as the birds come close to feed on the insects disturbed by your footprints. Robins will also feed on insect larvae, earthworms and spiders, as well as ripe fruits in the summer time, when insects are less abundant.

As with many New Zealand native species, unfortunately robin populations on the mainland have suffered due to forest clearance and introduced mammalian predators. Most predation will occur during nesting season and can therefore result in populations having a greater proportion of males, as the adult females are killed on the nest.

You can always have a robin in your garden with a Blazen.Metal robin bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or insect inlay. 25% off for the month of August.

Bibliography

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

Powlesland, R.G. 2013 [updated 2017]. South Island robin. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

Powlesland, R.G. 2013 [updated 2017]. North Island robin. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

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The kingfisher is a common bird, found in many different habitats around the country. Their beautiful green-blue back, intersecting their creamy undersides makes them easy to recognise as they sit on posts, power lines and branches.

Kingfishers sit high up to forage for food aerially – they eat a wide-range of prey, and are known for bashing larger items, such as lizards, mice and fish, to supple them up before swallowing them whole.

Birds are usually seen individually, or in breeding pairs. They make a nest site in September and lay a clutch of up to six eggs in October or November. The eggs are incubated mainly by the females for 21 days, with the chicks leaving the nest at 26 days old.

You can always have a kingfisher in your garden with a Blazen.Metal kingfisher bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or lizard inlay. 25% off for the month of July.

Bibliography

McKinlay, B. 2013 [updated 2017]. Sacred kingfisher. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

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Pukeko are widely distributed throughout New Zealand. They, unlike many other native birds, have benefited from the clearance of land for agriculture. They do however often cause hassle to cultivators, as they feed on, uproot, and damage their crops.

You can find pukeko in a range of habitats, but mostly around wet, marshy, swampy areas, feeding on raupo and rushes and other shoots, stems and leaves. They are well adapted for feeding on shoots and grasses, with their long toes holding the vegetation while feeding. Although primarily vegetarian, they are not strictly so – they also feed on invertebrates and can at times take larger prey.

Pukeko can have a complex social structure, living in large social groups, with a shared breeding and feeding territory. Here birds will lay eggs in a shared nest, and the young reared by the community. Once past the juvenile stage, there are few natural predators controlling pukeko populations, which means in some places they can be considered pests.

You can always have a pukeko in your garden with a Blazen.Metal pukeko bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or raupo inlay. 25% off for the month of June.

Bibliography

Dey, C.; Jamieson, I. 2013 [updated 2017]. Pukeko. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

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The curious kea is the only alpine parrot on the world.  The playful, inquisitive birds are well known for pecking at vehicles, sometimes causing damage. They are found only in the high altitude forests and alpine areas in the South Island. You will often hear them before you see them, with their screeching call of ‘keeeeeaaaa’. They have been known to attack sick sheep at night, but are generally found in their own habitat, feeding on alpine vegetation.

Between two and four eggs are laid each year, in nests situated in spacing’s between rocks, or under tree roots. Once chicks are old enough to take to the skies, you can recognise them in flight by the beautiful, bright orange plumage underneath their wings.

You can always have a kea in your garden with a Blazen.Metal kea bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or insect inlay, in either perching or landing. 25% off for the month of May.

Bibliography

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

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New Zealand was once home to both the North and South Island kokako, easily distinguished by their differing wattle colours; orange in the South Island species and blue in the North. The South Island kokako currently has a conservation status of ‘data deficient’, moving from previously being thought to be extinct, as an accepted sighting was made in 2007 near Reefton (with the last accepted sighting in 1967).

The kokako are known for their haunting melodies – a unique addition to the dawn chorus. Their population has declined due to mammalian predation, and competition for food, particularly by possums. They still survive in sanctuaries and pest management areas, and small numbers in the wild in North Island forests.

Kokako feed mainly on a variety of fruit and leaves. They will however take spiders and insects in the summer, and when they are feeding chicks. When food is plentiful, this can occur twice a year, with two to three chicks hatching per brood.

No matter which island you are in, you can always have a kokako in your garden with a Blazen.Metal kokako bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or fern inlay. 25% off for the month of April.

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Bibliography

Dawson, J., & Lucas, R. (2000). Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest. Auckland: Random House.

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

New Zealand’s only endemic pigeon, the kereru, with its distinctive wingbeats, is a keystone species in New Zealand forests – crucial to the dispersal of many native plant seeds. Strictly vegetarian, they love to gorge on ripe fruit, but they will also strip plants of their leaves, buds and flowers.

The birds are widely distributed in forest habitats, but often seen in open country, and built-up areas, feeding on flowers and fruits. At times, they can be seen in large feeding flocks of 20-50 birds. Kereru have been known to breed in all months of the year, however generally breeding occurs from September to April when there is good food availability.

You can always have a kereru in your garden with a Blazen.Metal kereru bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or kowhai inlay. 25% off for the month of March.

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Bibliography

Dawson, J., & Lucas, R. (2000). Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest. Auckland: Random House.

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

Powlesland, R.G. 2013. New Zealand pigeon. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online.www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz