paihiaxxres10
Paihia front towards Treaty Grounds
This small, dainty coastal tern is the most endangered of New Zealand’s endemic birds. The relict population of fewer than a dozen pairs survives between Whangarei in the north and Auckland to the south. The tiny population is gravely threatened by introduced predators and disturbance or encroachment by humans. They are intensively managed during the breeding season.
Paihia front towards Treaty Grounds Zoom
This small, dainty coastal tern is the most endangered of New Zealand’s endemic birds. The relict population of fewer than a dozen pairs survives between Whangarei in the north and Auckland to the south. The tiny population is gravely threatened by introduced predators and disturbance or encroachment by humans. They are intensively managed during the breeding season.
Some Snells Beach bird information is below and on the site pages ourbirds and 36 birds
White fronted Terns with chick
Above are two adult, white fronted terns. Their smaller juvenile, mouth open on the left has different markings from the adults. This tern is the most common tern on the New Zealand coastline, at times occurring in flocks of many hundreds or even thousands of birds. It is mainly a marine species that is seldom found far from the coast. The name ‘white-fronted’ refers to the ‘frons’ or forehead, where a thin strip of white separates the black cap from the black bill. Most other ‘capped’ terns, including the black-fronted tern, have black caps that reach the bill when in breeding plumage.
White faced Heron
The white-faced heron is New Zealand’s most common heron, despite being a relatively new arrival to this country. It is a tall, elegant, blue-grey bird that can be seen stalking its prey in almost any aquatic habitat, including damp pasture and playing fields. Because it occupies space also shared with people it is usually well habituated to their presence, and may allow close approach.
Pied Stilt
The pied stilt is a dainty wading bird with, as its name suggests, black-and-white coloration and very long legs. It is common at wetlands and coastal areas throughout New Zealand and may be seen feeding alongside oystercatchers.
Pied stilts tend to be shy of people and fly away, yapping, when approached.
Hybrid Pied Stilt
These are not a specific breed, they are a cross between the critically endangered Black Stilt (numbering only 100) and the more common Pied Stilt so classified as a Hybrid.
In the photo, above right is an adult pied stilt with two juveniles in front with undeveloped markings, the bird on the left you can clearly see the large amount of black on its head and around its chest showing it is a cross between the two species, a hybrid.
We have a few hybrids amongst the Pied Stilt flocks at Snells, please keep a look out for them and photograph them if you can, its great to keep data on them to help with the NZ research.
Bar tailed Godwit
Their brown and grey plumage echoes the intertidal mudflats where they forage, and for much of their time in New Zealand they are relatively nondescript birds however you will start to notice some of them changing plumage colour in February to their breeding plumage of bright rusty orange as they prepare for their epic migration to their breeding grounds in Alaska or Siberia. There is nothing nondescript about the migrations of bar-tailed godwits. They perform the longest nonstop flights of any non-seabird in the world, and, unlike a seabird, there is no chance of an inflight snack, sleep or rest, they don’t glide either.
Royal Spoonbill
The stately royal spoonbill is one of six spoonbill species worldwide, and the only one that breeds in New Zealand. This large white waterbird was first recorded in New Zealand at Castlepoint in 1861. Sightings increased through the 1900s, with breeding first recorded next to the white heron colony at Okarito, south Westland, in 1949. Since then it has successfully colonised New Zealand from Australia and is now widespread, breeding at multiple sites on both main islands, and dispersing to coastal sites across the country after the breeding season. In flight, birds hold their neck outstretched and trail legs behind, looking rather awkward, like a “Dr Seuss” cartoon bird. Their closest relatives are the ibises.
Sacred Kingfisher
The sacred kingfisher is one of the best known birds in New Zealand due to the iconic photographs published over many years by Geoff Moon. These early images showed in detail the prey, the foraging skills and the development of chicks in the nest and as fledgings. Equally recognisable is the hunched silhouette waiting patiently on a powerline or other elevated perch over an estuary or mudflat which converts in a flash to a streak of green diving steeply to catch a prey item.
Kingfishers are found widely in New Zealand in a wide range of habitats: the key ingredients are elevated observation posts to hunt from, banks or suitable standing trees to excavate nests in, and open or semi-open habitats which support a range of prey items.
Black Shag
This large, mainly black shag is often seen individually or in small groups roosting on rocky headlands, in trees or on artificial structures. It usually forages alone. Even though readily seen about harbours and estuaries associated with cities or towns, black shags are wary of close approach by people, probably as a result of persecution by fishers and waterfowl hunters
Paradise Shelduck
The paradise shelduck is a colourful, conspicuous and noisy waterfowl that could be mistaken for a small goose. It has undergone a remarkable increase in population and distribution since about 1990, including the colonisation of sports fields and other open grassed areas within urban environments. This expansion has occurred in the face of being a gamebird and hunted annually.
Black Swan
Although present in New Zealand and on Chatham Islands at the time of first human settlement, black swans were no longer extant at the time of European settlement. They were deliberately reintroduced, initially from Melbourne, in the 1860s. Their distribution and abundance within a few years of those small reintroductions suggests that, coincidentally, natural re-colonisation may have occurred. Periodic immigration from Australia may still occur but has yet to be confirmed.
Widespread and common in eastern and south-western Australia and Tasmania, the black swan also ranges into the continent’s interior following heavy rain events.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
The South Island pied oystercatcher (SIPO) is the most abundant oystercatcher in New Zealand. The conspicuous black and white plumage and long red bill make this a familiar species. It is found on most estuaries, with numbers greatest during the period December to July. Fewer birds remain in coastal areas during the rest of the year, with most of the population moving to inland South Island riverbeds and farmland to breed.
Similar species of pied oystercatchers occur throughout Europe, North and South America and Australia
Lesser Knot
Lesser knots are the quintessential flocking sandpiper, feeding in flocks on tidal flats from the Far North to Southland. Nondescript for much of the year, in February and March they moult into a rich reddish breeding plumage, hence their name used in most of the world, the red knot. The ‘lesser’ name is a comparison with the related great knot.
Identification
The lesser knot is a medium-sized wader, plain grey above and white below in non-breeding plumage. The bill is dark and of medium length, and the legs range from yellowish as juveniles to dark grey as adults. The rump is lightly barred white. Juveniles have buffier underparts than adults, and dark subterminal bands on the mantle and scapular feathers. In flight, lesser knots show a pale wingbar on the upperwing. In breeding plumage the mantle and scapulars become variably dark-centred with red patches, and the belly, breast and face become reddish. In the subspecies rogersi the breeding plumage feathers of the upperparts are largely grey-fringed, whereas the subspecies piersmai has more extensively red and black feathering, and a redder hindneck. Lesser knots feed in flocks with a rapid ‘sewing-machine’ action.
Voice: lesser knots are generally quiet. They give a soft chuk while feeding, and a more strident weet-weet before migration.
Similar species: non-breeding great knots are larger, with darker streaks on the breast, clearer ‘vee’ markings on the flanks, a finely streaked forehead, whiter rump, and a longer and heavier bill. Single red knots can, however, be quite confusing, especially when there are no other birds present for size comparisons.
Distribution and habitat
The commonest subspecies in New Zealand, rogersi, breeds on Chukotka Peninsula in far-eastern Russia. In recent years it has become evident that New Zealand also hosts birds of the subspecies piersmai, which breeds further west on the New Siberian Islands. C.c. piersmai winters principally in northern and north-west Australia, while rogersi winters mostly in eastern Australia and New Zealand. Red knots are found widely around the large harbours and estuaries of the North Island of New Zealand (but only a few in the Waikato), but in the South Island good numbers occur only in the northern South Island (especially Farewell Spit) and Southland. They are regular on Chatham Island; vagrant to Kermadec, Auckland, Campbell and Macquarie Islands. Lesser knots are found mainly at sites with extensive sandflats or mudflats. They roost on shellbanks and sandspits, usually with other waders such as godwits.
Australasian Shoveler
The Australasian shoveler is a species of dabbling duck in the genus Spatula. It ranges from 46–53 cm. In Australia it is protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. They occur in Southwestern and Southeastern Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand.
Shovelers are specialist filter-feeding waterfowl with a large spoon-shaped or shovel-shaped bill that is almost twice as broad at its tip than at its base.
Caspian Tern
The Caspian tern is a large distinctive gull-like tern of shallow coastal waters and, particularly outside of the breeding season, inland lakes and rivers throughout New Zealand. It is an attractive sleek species whose guttural call is often heard before the bird is seen.
Pied Shag
This large black-and-white shag is often seen individually or in small groups roosting on rocky headlands, trees or artificial structures. In regions where it occurs, it can usually be readily seen about harbours and estuaries associated with cities or towns. Unlike most other shag species, the pied shag is reasonably confiding, allowing close approach when roosting or nesting in trees. It generally forages alone, but occasionally in small groups when prey is abundant.
Black Swan
Although present in New Zealand and on Chatham Islands at the time of first human settlement, black swans were no longer extant at the time of European settlement. They were deliberately reintroduced, initially from Melbourne, in the 1860s. Their distribution and abundance within a few years of those small reintroductions suggests that, coincidentally, natural re-colonisation may have occurred. Periodic immigration from Australia may still occur but has yet to be confirmed.
Widespread and common in eastern and south-western Australia and Tasmania, the black swan also ranges into the continent’s interior following heavy rain events.
Black Swan
Although present in New Zealand and on Chatham Islands at the time of first human settlement, black swans were no longer extant at the time of European settlement. They were deliberately reintroduced, initially from Melbourne, in the 1860s. Their distribution and abundance within a few years of those small reintroductions suggests that, coincidentally, natural re-colonisation may have occurred. Periodic immigration from Australia may still occur but has yet to be confirmed.
Widespread and common in eastern and south-western Australia and Tasmania, the black swan also ranges into the continent’s interior following heavy rain events.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
The South Island pied oystercatcher (SIPO) is the most abundant oystercatcher in New Zealand. The conspicuous black and white plumage and long red bill make this a familiar species. It is found on most estuaries, with numbers greatest during the period December to July. Fewer birds remain in coastal areas during the rest of the year, with most of the population moving to inland South Island riverbeds and farmland to breed.
Similar species of pied oystercatchers occur throughout Europe, North and South America and Australia
Black Swan
Although present in New Zealand and on Chatham Islands at the time of first human settlement, black swans were no longer extant at the time of European settlement. They were deliberately reintroduced, initially from Melbourne, in the 1860s. Their distribution and abundance within a few years of those small reintroductions suggests that, coincidentally, natural re-colonisation may have occurred. Periodic immigration from Australia may still occur but has yet to be confirmed.
Widespread and common in eastern and south-western Australia and Tasmania, the black swan also ranges into the continent’s interior following heavy rain events.
Black Swan
Although present in New Zealand and on Chatham Islands at the time of first human settlement, black swans were no longer extant at the time of European settlement. They were deliberately reintroduced, initially from Melbourne, in the 1860s. Their distribution and abundance within a few years of those small reintroductions suggests that, coincidentally, natural re-colonisation may have occurred. Periodic immigration from Australia may still occur but has yet to be confirmed.
Widespread and common in eastern and south-western Australia and Tasmania, the black swan also ranges into the continent’s interior following heavy rain events.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
The South Island pied oystercatcher (SIPO) is the most abundant oystercatcher in New Zealand. The conspicuous black and white plumage and long red bill make this a familiar species. It is found on most estuaries, with numbers greatest during the period December to July. Fewer birds remain in coastal areas during the rest of the year, with most of the population moving to inland South Island riverbeds and farmland to breed.
Similar species of pied oystercatchers occur throughout Europe, North and South America and Australia
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
The South Island pied oystercatcher (SIPO) is the most abundant oystercatcher in New Zealand. The conspicuous black and white plumage and long red bill make this a familiar species. It is found on most estuaries, with numbers greatest during the period December to July. Fewer birds remain in coastal areas during the rest of the year, with most of the population moving to inland South Island riverbeds and farmland to breed.
Similar species of pied oystercatchers occur throughout Europe, North and South America and Australia
Paradise Shelduck
The paradise shelduck is a colourful, conspicuous and noisy waterfowl that could be mistaken for a small goose. It has undergone a remarkable increase in population and distribution since about 1990, including the colonisation of sports fields and other open grassed areas within urban environments. This expansion has occurred in the face of being a gamebird and hunted annually.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
Variable Oystercatcher
The variable oystercatcher is a familiar stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, found around much of New Zealand. They are often seen in pairs probing busily for shellfish along beaches or in estuaries. Previously shot for food, variable oystercatchers probably reached low numbers before being protected in 1922, since when numbers have increased rapidly. They are long-lived, with some birds reaching 30+ years of age. The existence of different colour morphs (black, intermediate or ‘smudgy’, and pied) caused early confusion, and they were variously thought to be different species, forms, or hybrids. The colour morphs inter-breed freely and are now all accepted as being a single species.
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
The South Island pied oystercatcher (SIPO) is the most abundant oystercatcher in New Zealand. The conspicuous black and white plumage and long red bill make this a familiar species. It is found on most estuaries, with numbers greatest during the period December to July. Fewer birds remain in coastal areas during the rest of the year, with most of the population moving to inland South Island riverbeds and farmland to breed.
Similar species of pied oystercatchers occur throughout Europe, North and South America and Australia
Thanks to New Zealand Birds On Line for bird information.