Innately curious, kea are attracted to people wherever they enter its mountain domain, and are a feature at South Island ski-fields and mountain huts. Their attraction to people and their paraphernalia is a two-edged sword, providing both new threats and new opportunities.

The silvereye colonised New Zealand from Australia in the 1850s, and is now one of New Zealand’s most abundant and widespread bird species. It is found throughout New Zealand and its offshore and outlying islands, occurring in most vegetated habitats, including suburban gardens, farmland, orchards, woodlands and forests.

The red-billed gull is the commonest gull on the New Zealand coast. Except for a colony at Lake Rotorua, it rarely is found inland. It is commonly seen in coastal towns, garbage dumps and at fish processing facilities.

They were once one of the most common and conspicuous birds of South and Stewart Island forests, but have been gradually declining since the arrival of ship rats and stoats in New Zealand. Since the 1970s their range contraction has been dramatic, with many of the small scattered populations disappearing.

Starlings occur throughout New Zealand, from sea level to 1500 m altitude, in all open country, on the coast, and in towns. They are absent from alpine areas and native forest, although they may nest at forest edges.

The iconic huia was the largest of the five New Zealand wattlebird species. It was a striking large songbird, mainly black with long white-tipped tail feathers. Female and male huia had dramatically different bill sizes and shapes; this was the most extreme sexual bill …

The weka is one of New Zealand’s iconic large flightless birds. Likely derived from a flighted ancestor, weka are 3-6 times larger than banded rails, which are considered their nearest flying relatives. Weka are charismatic birds that are often attracted to human activity.

Eastern rosellas are mainly seen in open, partially wooded landscapes in New Zealand, including urban parks, gardens, golf courses, farmland, wetlands, and stands of exotic and native trees. They use the edges of extensive native forest areas more than the interior.

Little owls were introduced to New Zealand from Germany between 1906 and 1910, with the intention that they would help control the numbers of small introduced birds, which were becoming a pest in grain and fruit crops.

Redpolls are the smallest of New Zealand’s introduced finches. They are brownish and streaked, and both sexes have the red crown patch. Adult males have a variable amount of pink on the lower throat and breast.