Feather cloaks (kahu huruhuru) are treasured possessions of many Māori tribes and are in museum collections around the world. Much knowledge about the materials used to...

New Zealand’s little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii) population in 2013 numbered around 1,600. They are vulnerable to disease and other environmental stresses according to a genetic...

The kiwi is New Zealand’s most iconic bird – we even call ourselves Kiwis – yet all kiwi species are threatened and require ongoing action to...

The kiwi is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s national icons. It is known as te manu huna a Tāne – the hidden bird of Tāne. Kiwi...

A DNA study of extinct elephant bird specimens held at Wellington’s Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa have revealed the birds to be the kiwi’s...

E whai ana Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa ki te whakamanawa i te kaitiakitanga mā roto i ngā kohakoha pūtaiao kirirarau ki te...

New Zealand separated from Gondwana around 65 million years ago. Due to the geographical isolation and a lack of ground-dwelling predators, our birds evolved unique characteristics....

The toroa/northern royal albatross is one of the largest seabirds in the world! They are referred to as graceful giants of the ocean, and with a...

Birds are categorised as endemic, native or introduced. The slide show gives examples of some of the different types of birds we have in New Zealand....

Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey strives to encourage kaitiakitanga through citizen science efforts to enhance knowledge and...

A change in birdsong was a tohu for mana whenua that something was not right in the Waitākere Ranges. Kauri were māuiui. After waiting years for...

He tohu te whakarerekētanga o te korihi a ngā manu kāore e tika ana tētahi āhuatanga mō te tangata whenua i te Waitākere. He māuiui ngā...

He tohunga ō tātou tūpuna mō te āta mātaitanga. He mea whakamōhio i a rātou ngā raraunga mai i ngā mātaitanga i te manaakitanga o te...

It is estimated there are currently 209 breeding bird species in Aotearoa New Zealand. How can we tell what bird species we are observing? All living...

New Zealand native birds have been greatly affected by predation. For millions of years, they lived in an environment without natural predators. Many species developed traits...

E whakapae ana kei te āhua 209 ngā momo manu whakawhānau i Aotearoa. Me pēhea tātou e mōhio he aha ngā momo manu e mātaitia ana...

Kim Oliver was a year 6 teacher on a 6-month Primary Science Teacher Fellowship awarded through the Royal Society of New Zealand, and her placement at...

Have you been outside at night and heard the call of ruru, or maybe it sounds more like morepork to you? Ninox novae-zelandiae, the ruru or...

He mea whakahirahira te manu ki te iwi Māori, he uri whakaheke nā Tāne Mahuta he mana nui tōna i te tirohanga mātairangi a te māori...

You can tell a great deal about how a bird lives or what a plane has been designed for just from its wing shape and size....

An inquiry approach is often recommended for science education. It supports student-directed learning and can enhance engagement because students pursue questions and lines of inquiry that...

Aotearoa New Zealand is known worldwide for its unique native birdlife. Ngā manu a Tānemahuta have been taonga from the first moments of early Polynesian immigration....

On 5 October 2011, the cargo vessel Rena was grounded on the Astrolabe Reef off the Tauranga coast. The ship was carrying 1,368 containers, 1,700 tonnes...

Takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri) once lived throughout the South Island. Their original habitats were the bushy edges of lowland swamps and rivers. Today’s remnant takahē population lives...