Some birds of Aotearoa (land of the long white cloud)

Some endemic birds of New Zealand seen in South Island from a visit earlier this year. Places visited include birdwatching spots in Canterbury, Otago and Southland regions. Two of the 17 species here (11, 15) are endemic to South Island and Stewart Island only. All these species are threatened by land development, human recreational activities, and predation usually by introduced animals. Their habitats are dwindling with the loss of native forests and vegetation due to land clearing. Most of these birds are found in native forests, mountains, lakes and coastlines, grasslands and a variety of other habitats. Ducks (1, 2) are generally found along rivers, wetlands, and lakes, as well as open grassy areas and farmland. Shorebirds (5, 6, 7) are obviously mainly found at water bodies - coastal and inland: sandy beaches, braided rivers, foreshores and estuaries. Some birds have adapted to human habitats.

1. Paradise Shelduck Putangitangi. The most widely distributed and second-most abundant waterfowl in New Zealand. The male has a black head with slight green shimmer, and the female has a white head and upper neck. A game species, at least 200,000 are hunted down every year.

Putangitangi from Aoraki (Mount Cook) village.

2. New Zealand Scaup Papango. A diving duck with a wide though patchy distribution throughout North and South Islands. This generally dark bird floats on water with easy buoyancy and can stay for long periods underwater, whilst also travelling great distances. Male has dark black plumage and yellow iris. Female is duller brown with brown iris. Seen in sheltered areas of lakes and bays and lagoons in Otago and Southland. 

Papango from Queenstown Bay.

3. New Zealand Falcon Karearea. A compact raptor with long tail and wings, streaky cream-and-brown breast and reddish-brown undertail. Very adapted to hunt within the dense New Zealand forests but are also found in more open areas such as tussock grasslands, farms and grazing hilly country. Its rounded tail and the rapid beats of its pointed wings are notable in flight. Feeds predominantly on live prey such as smaller birds like passerines and rarely on roadkill. On the slopes of Roy’s Peak, it was quite an amazing sight, seeing a speeding graceful falcon in flight, gliding and chasing sparrows with wings set flat. Another falcon was seen from the CBD bay beach in downtown Queenstown.

Karearea from open country around Mossburn.

4. Weka. A large, flightless mostly light brown rail with red eyes and a broad pointed bill. Extinct over large tracts of the mainland due to predation and climate change. Weka are a curious omnivorous species and often seen scavenging around people and tourists, like this boss roaming around a carpark in Milford Sound (Piopiotahi), the most famous destination in New Zealand.

Weka, the mayor of main street Milford Sound.

5. Variable Oystercatcher Torea Pango. This shorebird has a distinctively long and bright orange bill. The adult has black upperparts, its underparts colors ranging from all black to pied, with different morphs in between. Diet includes a wide range of littoral and terrestrial invertebrates. 

Torea Pango from the foreshores of the eighth Wonder of the World- Piopiotahi (Milford Sound) fiord.

6. Black-billed Gull Tarapuka. A pale gull mostly white with light gray wings and back, long thin black bill and black or reddish-black legs. This species mostly breeds on inland braided riverbeds in the South Island (only around 5% nest in the North Island). The numbers of this gull have rapidly declined but still seen most everywhere throughout Otago and Southland regions.

Tarapuka from Queenstown and Milford Sound.

7. Black-fronted Tern Tarapirohe. A familiar tern of the eastern South Island. Breeding plumage is a black cap extending down to the bill and bright orange bill and legs. This bird breeds only on the braided riverbeds of the eastern and southern South Island.

This Tarapirohe was flying over farmlands in Lowther, Southland.

8. White-fronted Tern Tara. Tern with a long pointed black bill and long forked tail. Its black cap  is delineated by a white band from its black bill. Non-breeding adults and juveniles have a white frons created by a reduced black cap cover. Fairly common along coastlines around New Zealand including in Milford Sound as the photos show.

Juvenile and adult Tara below.

9. New Zealand Pigeon Kereru. Large pigeon with distinctive bright blue-green plumage, white belly, and red eye. Widely distributed throughout the country. Threatened by introduced stoats, feral cats and ship rats. 

This one Kereru sighting was from the thick eastern cliff forests of

the world’s top travel destination- Piopiotahi (Milford Sound).

10. Grey Warbler Riroriro. A small, slim warbler most widely distributed endemic bird and common throughout New Zealand. Gray-brown above and paler gray to off-white below. Tail is darker, tipped with white, most noticeable in flight. An entirely insectivorous species, it is typically seen in the lower canopies of forests foraging on tree trunks and branches for insects. 

Riroriro above from Routeburn Track trailhead in Fiordland NP,

and below from Queenstown Gardens.

11. Brown Creeper Pipipi. A small, noisy songbird, found only in South and Stewart Islands. Favors different forest types. It has brown upperparts with an ashy-gray face and neck, and pale creamy-brown underparts. Often located first by its chattering contact calls and songs. Brown creepers are insectivorous, sometimes foraging upside down.

South Island endemic Pipipi seen in forest canopy in Glenorchy.

12. Tui. This species has a dark sheen of blue, purple, and green but easily distinguished by a bow tie of two curled white feather tufts (“poi”). Found throughout much of New Zealand often venturing into suburban parks, farmland, and rural gardens. I heard my first Tui before I saw it, as it sang, croaked, coughed, wheezed and grunted mid-canopy above a viewing deck in Mirror Lakes in Fiordland NP, New Zealand’s largest national park.

Tui from Queenstown Hill and Mirror Lakes.

13. Bellbird Korimako. The most widespread and familiar honeyeater in the South Island and also common over much of the North Island. A medium-sized nectar feeder with yellowish-green plumage, blackish wings and tail, and red eyes. This bird regaled me with its songs from up in the canopy of native forests in Aoraki, Te Anau and Glenorchy.

Korimako from Mirror Lakes foraging for nectar,

and from Milford Sound looking smug after feeding on an insect.

14. Tomtit Miromiro/ Ngirungiru. The tomtit is a small forest bird with distinct large head and short tail. Males are generally black and white, females brown and white. Both sexes have a white spot at the base of the bill. Usually feeds in understory of forest but will come out in the open. 

Miromiro/ Ngirungiru in typical pose, perched on a branch ready to swoop down to take insect prey. 

15. South Island Robin Kakaruai. A small charcoal-colored songbird confined to South Island and Stewart Island. Found in back-country native forest and scrub habitats, where it spends much time foraging on the ground. Males have a more distinct separation between dark gray and cream on their chest than females. A pair of robins welcomed this intrepid vagabond at the washed-out trailhead of the Milford Track on the Eglinton River. 

South Island endemic Kakaruai from Mirror Lakes.

16. New Zealand Fantail Piwakawaka. One of New Zealand’s best-known small endemic songbirds. Widespread throughout New Zealand in a variety of habitats. Uniquely characterized by a long white and black tail which it constantly flicks around and fans, and which is often the first thing visible.  There are two colour ‘morphs’ of fantail, with the more common pied morph occurring throughout its range, and the black morph comprising up to 5% of the South Island population and occasionally occurring in the North Island.

Piwakawaka from Mirror Lakes and Te Anau (black morph below) .

17. New Zealand Pipit Pihoihoi. Species found in open country from coastline to alpine shrublands at ca 1900m. Prominent pale eyebrow with brown streaked upper body, pale underparts and brown streaking on breast. Often seen walking rather than hopping or flying and frequently flicking its long tail up and down when stationary. When approached Pipits often run a short distance from people. 

Pihoihoi seen in the high mountaintops of Queenstown Hill and Roy’s Peak.

Some birds of the Wallace Line

Part 1. Wallace Line east

The Wallace Line goes through the Malay Archipelago (Wallacea) - the largest grouping of islands on earth. This invisible yet physical bio-geographical boundary coincides with the centre thread of the Lombok strait, a 250m-deep trench that separates the continental shelves of Sunda (Asia) and Sahul (Australia). Wallace Line delineates the sudden change of species composition to its west (Indo-Malayan) and east (Australian) ecozones. The line also separates marine life between the Asian and Australian landmasses. Understanding the Wallace Line leads to understanding biodiversity, geology and evolution. Wallace Line was named after Alfred Russell Wallace, the co-founder of natural selection. In his travels in 1856, Wallace first observed the different birds, then the divergent animal species on either side of the 12km to 35km-wide Lombok Strait. This led him to discover his ‘Wallace line’. The line extends from Bali, in Indonesia, to the Celebes Sea just south of the Philippines.

On a whim I thought to follow Wallace’s footsteps. The journey to see the more than 17 thousand islands of Wallacea starts with visiting just one. I set my very first footstep on Bali in the Lesser Sundas. From there I also visited Flores and Komodo islands in East Nusa Tenggara. That’s a great start- only 17,497 islands to go. I think it’s easier to do the Philippine Archipelago, there’s only 7,123 islands there… Back to Wallace and birds- 23 new species and subspecies were named after Wallace. Some of these birds are on the list below. Except for two species from Komodo Island, all these birds were found and photographed in mainland Flores. These 20 birds are endemic to just one island or two, or a few or all of the Lesser Sunda Islands. Most are rare and endangered throughout their native range. They generally inhabit subtropical and tropical forests at all altitudes from the mountains to sea level. Some birds persist in agricultural areas but like most wildlife, are threatened by pesticides and toxic products. However, their rapid population decline is mostly due to the pet trade.

SITE 1. This list starts in Gunung (Mount) Mbeliling in the land of the Manggarai. Mbeliling is the highest mountain in the west of the island of Flores. Its forested slopes and surrounding foothills is the home and sanctuary of at least 125 species of birds. Ten of the total 25 species seen in the Mbeliling area are on this list.

1.    Wallacean Drongo. Red-eyed, glossy-black bird with a heavy bill and shallow-forked, fanned tail.

2.       This nondescript, short-tailed stub-billed songbird Golden-rumped Flowerpecker only exists on two small Sunda Islands, Sumbawa and Flores. 

3.       Flame-breasted Sunbird is native to Indonesia and Timor Leste, but only exists in a relatively small geographical area from the island of Sumbawa East to Timor.

4.       Tenggara Paradise-Flycatcher. Only caught a fleeting blur of this breeding male’s trailing long streamers that are almost double the length of his body.

5.       Dark-crowned Heleia. Sometimes called “dark-eye” due to its unusual plumage, shape, and eggs all different from other White-eye species.

6.       Flores Heleia. A gray-and-white songbird with a diagnostic head pattern.

7.       Yellow-spectacled Heleia. A small green songbird with a bright yellow head and a distinctive orange forehead smudge.

8.       White-rumped Kingfisher. Distinctive purplish-blue upperparts, white underparts and a bright orange-red bill.

9.       Flores Minivet. This smallish minivet only exists in Sumbawa and Flores. It prefers forest habitats and is generally uncommon.

10.   Wallacean Cuckooshrike. Widespread in the Lesser Sundas and some adjacent Indonesian islands according to classifications. Common in Flores but much rarer on some other islands.

SITE 2. The hillsides of Cibal range (north of Ruteng, Manggarai Regency) is the habitat of some spectacular birds. 23 species seen here.

11.   Wallace’s Hanging-Parrot. Endemic to Flores and inhabiting a limited range, this arboreal parrot is also known as the Flores hanging parrot.

12.  Black-fronted Flowerpecker. Small but spectacular short-tailed songbird. This male exhibits its bright red throat and dark gray cheeks.

SITE 3. Danau (Lake) Ranamese is a mountainous nature reserve in East Manggarai regency. The 21m-deep lake itself sits at 1220m above sea level. It is barricaded and surrounded by dense forests, ideal habitat for various birds. Total 18 species.
 
13.   Brown-capped Fantail. A little forest bird that only exists on Sumbawa, Flores and Lembata.

14.   Chestnut-backed Thrush. A striking ground bird with a black-and-white head pattern, a chestnut back, prominent white wing markings. This species is rapidly declining if not nearly extinct.

SITE 4. At 1750m altitude, Golo Lusang saddle is in the Waso mountains of Langke Rembong, south of Ruteng. This mountain lookout offers magnificent views of Sumba Island and Savu Sea. There’s also a small matter of great birdwatching. Nine species seen here including the Warbling White-eye, Eyebrowed Heleia and Leaf Lorikeet.
 
15.   Sunda Honeyeater. Plain olive-plumaged honeyeater with a slender typical downcurved black bill.

16.   Bare-throated Whistler. Usually solo, this olive-coloured, black-faced and black-headed male sports its diagnostic red patch of bare skin on its throat.

SITE 5. Gateway to Komodo Island, the town of Labuan Bajo is on the west coast of Nusa Tenggara. 22 species.
 
17.   Ornate Pitta. A multi-coloured plump, short-tailed, long-legged, and primarily terrestrial bird. It sometimes gets on a perch to call, which allowed for a chance of photos in this instance. This bird has somehow persisted within secondary forest and small patches near residential areas. However, there is doubt of its tolerance of the degrading habitat due to pressures caused by human activity.

18.   Great-billed Parrot. Green parrot with a large red bill and distinctive yellow markings on its wings.

SITE 6. Komodo Island. 22 species.
 
19.   Barred Dove is a long-tailed dove with distinctive orange eye ring and barring all over its body.

20.   The rare and endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo is all-white with a yellow-orange crest. It pays its dues in the food chain with its eggs and chicks serving as prey for Komodo dragons, and two birds of prey: the Spotted Kestrel, and the White-bellied Sea-eagle.

Ps. The 20 birds above are only some of 70 bird species seen in the east of the Wallace Line in Flores and Komodo Islands (East Nusa Tengarra) over a five-day period earlier this year.