A field guide · Hauraki Gulf, Aotearoa New Zealand

The Birds of
Kawau Island

Te Kawau Tūmaro o Toi — the shag standing sentinel

A small island forty kilometres north of Auckland where kiwi forage in the gullies, most of the world's North Island weka once lived, and an Australian kookaburra laughs over the bush. It's there because a nineteenth-century governor wanted his own Eden.

Learn about Kawau's natural history →Explore the field guide
Field guide

Which bird did you see?

From kiwi in the gullies to gannets offshore, 63 kinds of bird live on or visit Kawau. Find yours below, then tap it for its story, its habits and the best places to look for it on the island.

Wetland & ground dwellers

Kawau's most famous birds walk rather than fly. Kiwi and weka share the gullies and bays, while pāteke and other waterbirds use the island's ponds, mangroves and sheltered inlets.

North Island brown kiwikiwi-nuiNorth Island wekawekaRare hereBanded railmoho pererūRare herePūkekoBrown tealpātekeParadise shelduckpūtangitangiRare hereGrey duckpāreraRare hereNew Zealand pipitpīhoihoi

Seabirds

Kawau is named for its shags, and seabirds are still the island's most visible residents. Pied shags nest in the pōhutukawa at Rocky Bay, gannets dive on the boat trip over, and kororā come ashore after dark.

Little penguinkororāAustralasian gannettākapuFluttering shearwaterpakahāBuller's shearwaterrakoFlesh-footed shearwatertoanuiRare hereSooty shearwatertītīCook's petreltītīGrey-faced petrelōiPied shagkāruhiruhiBlack shagmāpungaLittle shagkawaupakaRed-billed gulltarāpungaSouthern black-backed gullkaroroCaspian terntaranuiWhite-fronted terntara

Shore & estuary

Kawau's rocky points, sandy bays and harbour edges are worked by waders and herons at every tide. Some are rare endemics. Others, like the white-faced heron and spur-winged plover, flew in on their own last century.

Variable oystercatchertōrea pangoNew Zealand dottereltūturiwhatuPied stiltpoakaReef heronmatuku moanaWhite-faced heronmatuku moanaSpur-winged plover

Forest birds

Kawau lies on a flight path for birds from the Hauturu / Little Barrier sanctuary. Tūī, kererū and kākā are thriving, while some forest species found on nearby sanctuaries have yet to settle here.

KākāNew Zealand pigeonkererūTūīRare hereBellbirdkorimakoRare hereWhiteheadpōpokoteaRare hereNorth Island robintoutouwaiRare hereTomtitmiromiroGrey warblerriroriroFantailpīwakawakaSilvereyetauhou

Hunters & travellers

Kawau's hunters work in shifts. Ruru take the night, kōtare watch from the jetty poles by day, and kāhu patrol the open ground. Each spring two cuckoos fly in from the tropical Pacific, joining a swallow that only settled New Zealand in the 1950s.

MoreporkruruSacred kingfisherkōtareSwamp harrierkāhuWelcome swallowwarouShining cuckoopīpīwharauroaLong-tailed cuckookoekoeā

Introduced birds

Grey brought kookaburras and peafowl to Kawau, and magpies were released here too. Meanwhile acclimatisation societies were filling the mainland with birds settlers remembered from home, or hoped would eat farm pests. Most of them can be seen on Kawau today.

Laughing kookaburraIndian peafowlpīkaoBrown quailkueraMallardrakirakiAustralian magpiemakipaiEastern rosellakākā uhi wheroRare hereSpotted doveCommon mynamainaCommon starlingtāringiEurasian blackbirdmanu pangoSong thrushmanu-kai-hua-rakauEurasian skylarkkairakaChaffinchpahiriniEuropean goldfinchkōurariniEuropean greenfinchYellowhammerhurukōwhaiDunnockHouse sparrowtiu
Sources

Sources & credits

  • Each bird's page lists the sources for its story and facts.
  • Background reading on the island and its history is on the History page.
  • Map elevation: Copernicus GLO-30 DEM © DLR e.V. 2010–2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014–2018, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA, via AWS Open Data. Contours at 20 m derived for this page.
Photo and illustration credits