Stewart Island offers some of the best land and sea birding in New Zealand. Bird watchers come from all over the world to enjoy our birds. Largely unmodified, the Island provides excellent habitat and food for native birds. Unlike other areas of New Zealand, it has not suffered the introduction of mustelids. The sea surrounding the Island is rich in food and attractive to a large number of seabirds.
Ulva Island is a jewel in the crown offering a predator-free environment for rare and endangered birds including South Island saddleback, mohua, rifleman, Stewart Island robin.
Birds, which are often seen on Stewart Island and Ulva Island, include bellbird, tui, kaka, tomtit, grey warbler, kakariki and the New Zealand wood pigeon. Some of our birds are unique to the region and include the weka, robin and fernbird.
The Stewart Island Brown Kiwi or the Southern Tokoeka, Apteryx australis lawyri - is one of six identified species of kiwi. Kiwi are flightless and largely nocturnal. However, the Stewart Island Brown Kiwi is active during the day and night. Kiwi outnumber humans and it is estimated there are 20,000 on Stewart Island. They are not always easy to see, shying away from humans and rarely coming close to inhabited areas.
Seabirds abound in our coastal waters due to the rich supply of food. Albatross, mollymawk, prion, petrel, cormorants and blue penguin are regularly seen. Sooty shearwater are seen in large numbers during their breeding season.
Please respect our wildlife and especially Kiwi - do not approach them within 5 metres or disturb them in anyway.
The following list of birds to be found on and about Stewart Island has been compiled with thanks for the able assistance of Ron Tindal.
| KIWIS | Apterygidae |
|
Stewart Island Kiwi
|
Apteryx australis lawryi
|
| PENGUINS | Spheniscidae |
|
Yellow-eyed Penguin
|
Megadyptes antipodes
|
|
Southern Blue Penguin
|
Eudyptula minor
|
|
Rockhopper Penguin
|
Eudyptes chrysocome
|
|
Fiordland Crested Penguin
|
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus
|
|
Snares Crested Penguin
|
Eudyptes pachyrhynchus atratus
|
| ALBATROSSES | Diomedeidae |
|
Wandering Albatross
|
Diomedea exulans
|
|
Northern Royal Albatross
|
Diomedea sanfordi
|
|
Southern Royal Albatross
|
Diomedea epomophora
|
|
N.Z. Black-browed Mollymawk
|
Diomedea melanophris
|
|
Grey-headed Mollymawk
|
Diomedea chrysostoma
|
|
Buller's Mollymawk
|
Diomedea bulleri
|
|
White-capped (Shy) Mollymawk
|
Diomedea cauta
|
|
Salvin's Mollymawk
|
Diomedea salvini
|
|
Light-mantled Sooty Albatross
|
Phoebetria palpebrata
|
| PETRELS, SHEARWATERS and FULMARS | Procellariidae |
|
Northern Giant Petrel
|
Macronecteus halli
|
|
Antarctic Fulmar
|
Fulmarus glacialoides
|
|
Snares Cape Pigeon
|
Daption capense (australe)
|
|
White-headed Petrel
|
Pterodroma lessonii
|
|
Mottled Petrel
|
Pterodroma inexpectata
|
|
Cook's Petrel
|
Pterodroma cook
|
|
Broad-billed Prion
|
Pachyptila vittata
|
|
Fairy Prion
|
Pachyptila turtur
|
|
White-chinned Petrel
|
Procellaria aequinoctialis
|
|
Bullers Shearwater
|
Puffinus bulleri
|
|
Fleshfooted Shearwater
|
Puffinus carneipes
|
|
Sooty Shearwater (Muttonbird)
|
Puffinus griseus
|
|
Huttons Shearwater
|
Puffinus huttoni
|
|
Little Shearwater
|
Puffinus elegans
|
| STORM PETRELS | Hydrobatidae |
|
Grey-backed Storm Petrel
|
Oceanites nereis
|
|
White-faced Storm Petrel
|
Pelagodroma marina
|
|
Black-bellied Storm Petrel
|
Fregetta tropica
|
| DIVING PETRELS | Pelecanoididae |
|
Southern Diving Petre
|
Pelecanoides urinatrix
|
|
South Georgian Diving Petrel
|
Pelecanoides georgicus
|
| GANNETS | Sulidae |
|
Australasian Gannet
|
Morus serrator
|
| SHAGS or CORMORANTS | Phalacrocoracidae |
|
Black Shag
|
Phalacrocorax carbo
|
|
Pied Shag
|
Phalacrocorax varius
|
|
Little Shag
|
Phalacrocorax melanoleucus
|
|
Stewart Island Shag
|
Leucocarbo chalconotus
|
|
Spotted Shag
|
Stictocarbo punctatus
|
|
Blue Shag
|
Stictocarbo punctatus steadi
|
| HERONS, EGRETS and BITTERNS | Ardeidae |
|
White-faced Heron
|
Ardea novaehollandiae
|
|
White Heron
|
Egretta alba
|
|
Reef Heron
|
Egretta sacra
|
|
Cattle Egret
|
Bubulcus ibis
|
|
Australasian Bittern
|
Botaurus poiciloptilus
|
| GEESE, SWANS and DUCKS | Anatidae |
|
Black Swan
|
Cygnus atratus
|
|
Paradise Duck
|
Tadorna variegata
|
|
Mallard Duck
|
Anas platyrhynchos
|
|
Grey Duck
|
Anas superciliosa
|
|
New Zealand Shoveler
|
Anas rhynchotis
|
| HARRIER - HAWK | Acciptridae |
|
Australasian Harrier
|
Circus approximans
|
| FALCONS | Falconidae |
|
New Zealand Falcon
|
Falco novaeseelandiae
|
| RAILS and WEKA | Rallidae |
|
Banded Rail
|
Rallus philppensis
|
|
Stewart Island Weka
|
Gallirallus australis scotti
|
|
Pukeko
|
Porphyrio porphyrio
|
| OYSTERCATCHERS | Haematopodidae |
|
South Island Pied Oystercatcher
|
Haematopus ostralegus
|
|
Variable Oystercatcher
|
Haematopus unicolor
|
| PLOVERS and DOTTERELS | Charadriidae |
|
Spur-winged Plover
|
Vanellus miles
|
|
Banded Dotterel
|
Charadrius bicinctus
|
|
Southern New Zealand Dotterel
|
Charadrius obscurus
|
| GODWITS | Scolopacidae |
|
Eastern Bar-tailed Godwit
|
Limosa lapponica
|
|
Turnstone
|
Arenaria interpres
|
| SKUAS | Stercorariidae |
|
Southern Skua
|
Catharacta skua lonnbergi
|
| GULLS, TERNS and NODDIES | Laridae |
|
Southern Black Backed Gull
|
Larus dominicanus
|
|
Red-billed Gull
|
Larus scopulinus
|
|
Black-billed Gull
|
Larus bulleri
|
|
Black-fronted Tern
|
Sterna albostriata
|
|
Caspian Tern
|
Sterna caspia
|
|
Antarctic Tern
|
Sterna vittata
|
|
White-fronted Tern
|
Sterna striata
|
| PIGEONS and DOVES | Columbidae |
|
New Zealand Pigeon
|
Hemiphaga novaseelandiae
|
| PARROTS and PARAKEETS | Psittacidae |
|
Kakapo
|
Strigops habroptilus
|
|
South Island Kaka
|
Nestor meridionalis
|
|
Red-crowned Parakeet
|
Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae
|
|
Yellow-crowned Parakeet
|
Cyanoramphus auriceps
|
| CUCKOOS | Cuculidae |
|
Shining Cuckoo
|
Chrysococcyx lucidus
|
|
Long-tailed Cuckoo
|
Eudynamys taitensis
|
| OWLS | Strigidae |
|
Morepork
|
Ninox novaeseelandiae
|
| KINGFISHERS | Alcedinidae |
|
New Zealand Kingfisher
|
Halcyon sancta
|
| NEW ZEALAND WRENS | Acanthisittidae |
|
South Island Rifleman
|
Acanthisitta chloris
|
| LARKS | Alaudidae |
|
Skylark
|
Alauda arvesis
|
| SWALLOWS | Hirundinidae |
|
Welcome Swallow
|
Hirundo tahitica neoxena
|
| FLYCATCHERS | Muscicapidae |
|
New Zealand Pipit
|
Anthus novaeseelandiae
|
|
Dunnock
|
Prunella modularis
|
|
South Island Fantail
|
Rhipidura fuliginosa
|
|
Yellow-breasted Tit
|
Petroica macrocephala
|
|
Stewart Island Robin
|
Petroica australis rakiura
|
| WARBLERS | Sylviidae |
|
Codfish Island Fernbird
|
Bowdleria punctata wilsoni
|
|
Stewart Island Fernbird
|
Bowdleria punctata stewartiana
|
|
Brown Creeper
|
Mohua novaeseelandiae
|
|
Yellowhead
|
Mohoua ochrocephala
|
|
Grey Warbler
|
Greygone igata
|
| THRUSHES | Turdidae |
|
Song Thrush
|
Turdus philomelus
|
|
Blackbird
|
Turdus merula
|
| HONEYEATERS | Meliphagidae |
|
Bellbird
|
Anthornis melanura
|
|
Tui
|
Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
|
| BUNTINGS | Emberizidae |
|
Yellowhammer
|
Emberiza citrinella
|
| FINCHES | Fringillidae |
|
Chaffinch
|
Fringilla coelabs
|
|
Greenfinch
|
Carduelis chloris
|
|
Goldfinch
|
Carduelis carduelis
|
|
Redpoll
|
Carduelis flammea
|
| SPARROWS | Ploceidae |
|
House Sparrow
|
Passer domesticus
|
| STARLINGS | Sturnidae |
|
Starling
|
Sturnus vulgaris
|
| SILVEREYES | Zosteropidae |
|
Silvereye
|
Zosterops lateralis
|
| NEW ZEALAND WATTLE BIRDS | Callaeidae |
|
South Island Saddleback
|
Philesturnus carunculatus
|
|
South Island Kokako
|
Calleas cinerea
|
| MAGPIE | Cracticidae |
|
Australian Magpie
|
Gymnorhina tibicen
|
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