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This is the list of the birds of New Zealand. The common name of the bird in New Zealand English is given first, and its Māori-language name, if different, is also noted. The North Island and South Island are the two largest islands of New Zealand. Stewart Island is the largest of the smaller islands.
When humans first arrived in New Zealand, there were at least 131 species of land, freshwater and coastal birds, and another 65 species of seabirds (gulls, albatrosses, petrels and penguins), making at least 196 native species in total, according to a 1997 report (this count may have risen since as subspecies have been reclassified as species).
Approximately 71% of the bird species breeding in New Zealand before humans arrived are widely accepted as being endemic. [ 1 ] There is also a smaller group of species are not fully endemic, but are breeding endemic, in that they breed only in New Zealand, but migrate or range elsewhere.
This category contains articles on endemic, native, introduced and extinct birds of New Zealand. Subcategories This category has the following 14 subcategories, out of 14 total.
The kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), New Zealand pigeon or wood pigeon is a species of pigeon native to New Zealand. Johann Friedrich Gmelin described the bird in 1789 as a large, conspicuous pigeon up to 50 cm (20 in) in length and 550–850 g (19–30 oz) in weight, with a white breast and iridescent green–blue plumage.
The flightless birds, which once numbered around 12 million in New Zealand, have seen their population plummet to just 68,000, according to the Save the Kiwi charity.
The Australasian swamphen, Porphyrio melanotus, is a communal gallinule and a member of the rail family, Rallidae. [2] The Rallidae family is a diverse group of non-passerine birds (birds that do not belong to the order Passeriformes, which includes perching birds and songbirds) with primarily terrestrial habits, characterised by relatively short wings and strong, often elongated bills.
The two sources of New Zealand's biodiversity following separation from Gondwana have been speciation and air- or sea-borne immigration. Most of these immigrants have arrived from Australia, and have provided the majority of New Zealand's birds [8] and bats as well as some