Description: Large brown hawk. Food is a mix of live prey - small birds, rabbits and a lot of road killed carrion (possums, hares, hedgehogs). Wary birds and avoid humans.

Habitat: Usually seen soaring singly over farmland, open country or swamps. Commonly patrols roads and a lot of young birds killed by cars.

Size: 55 cm

Description: Large bird with deep blue underparts, bright red beak and frontal shield, black upper parts with white under tail displayed by tail flicking as it walks. Harsh screaming call. Flies clumsily with legs trailing but tends more often to run away if disturbed. Grazes pasture and may hold some vegetable matter by one foot and eat "parrot fashion". Also takes frogs, insects and even small ducklings.

Habitat: Frequently seen in family groups foraging within the vicinity of water.

Size: 50 cm

Description: Like a small black with a white beak and frontal shield. Dives for most food but will graze short grass. Very protective of young chicks and will drive much larger ducks away.

Habitat: Can be seen swimming on lakes and ponds. Often on the lake, and nearby Masterton Park.

Size: 40 cm

Description: Black cap, brown back and wings, white underparts with bright yellow facial wattles (like a plastic mask). Strident rattling unmistakable calls. Slow deliberate wing beats in flight. Are early nesters from May onwards on open ground. Defends nest aggressively against the , and humans.

Habitat: Conspicuous birds of open country and farmland.

Size: 40 cm

Description: Distinctive black and white wader with long pink spindly legs which trail prominently when flying. Nests often singly on river beds or as small colonies on muddy paddocks with some shallow water (often where stock have eaten out choumollier winterfeed). Vigorously defends nest and chicks against humans and the . Rapid "yapping" cries as they harmlessly attack you.

Habitat: Seen on rivers, lakes and pond margins.

Size: 35 cm

Description: A starling-sized brown bird with white underparts on which are black throat and reddish-chestnut bands. Defends nesting territory vigorously against dotterels of same species.

Habitat: Inhabits sandy beaches and stony riverbeds.

Size: 20 cm

Description: Arrived in the Wairarapa in the 1960s via the Hawkes Bay where they first colonized from Australia. Today, our region has about 20% of the national population. Smaller than . Brown upper parts with white throat and belly. Black forehead, eye stripe, and V on breast. Red beak with black tip. Slow jerky flight shows white on the wings. Sharp "pit-pit-pit" call in flight. When the Ruamahanga floods, birds are forced off the riverbed and into Henley. Here they can be seen feeding around the lap strip of the Lake and in the muddy margins of wetland ponds.

Habitat: Feeds on muddy margins of rivers and streams. Hard to see until they move. Look for birds in winter on the eastern edges of the Pond.

Size: 17 cm

Description: Our largest gull, black and white with yellow beak. Juveniles have mottled brown plumage and only attain adult plumage by 3-4 years. Numbers have increased enormously near urban centres which provide more sources of food.

Habitat: Never far off-shore, but can be seen soaring over all parts of the country including our mountain ranges. An opportunistic feeder seen on wet pastures, cultivated land, rubbish tips, sewer outlets.

Size: 60 cm

Description: Essentially a South Island inland gull breeding on lakes and rivers and regularly breeding on Ruamahanga River bed at differing sites each year. Similar to , but adults have black beak and legs with less black on wing tips in flight.

Habitat: Feeds on rivers, lakes, wet pasture and cultivated paddocks. A small gull seen inland is most likely to be a . Often seen at the Lake in winter, and a few pairs even tried to breed here once.

Size: 40 cm