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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:
Description:
Large black coastal wader with long straight red beak and red eye.
Many birds display variable degrees of whiteness of underparts.
Territoral, usually seen in pairs but small non-breeding groups occur.
Sharp "kleep kleep kleep" call with musical piping during ritualised courtship.
Habitat:
Typically only seen in estuaries or on the coast.
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:
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:
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.
Size:
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:
Description:
Our commonest small gull and the one invariably seen on TV during Test Cricket matches.
Grey and white gull with red beak and legs.
Habitat:
Usually coastal but flocks may be seen feeding or roosting on cultivated paddocks or
sports fields within a few miles of the sea.
is the first species to appear when you toss out some food at a beach
picnic.
.
Description:
Our commonest tern. Pearl grey and white with swallow tail and black cap
separated by white forehead from black beak.
This feature gives bird its name.
Habitat:
Rarely observed away from the coast.
Look for flocks just offshore diving for small fish.
In breeding season often seen flying back to chicks with small fish in beak.
Description:
Large silver-grey tern with strong red beak and jet black cap in breeding season,
which becomes smudgy in winter.
Loud harsh call "kaaa". Dives for small fish.
Habitat:
Most commonly seen patrolling inshore coastal waters, flying with head and beak pointed down looking for fish.
Usually single birds seen.
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Australasian Harrier
(Circus approximans)
Variable Oystercatcher
(Haematopus unicolour)
Spur-winged Plover (Vanellus novaehollandiae)
Banded Dotterel (Charardrius bicinctus)
Black-fronted Dotterel (Charardrius melanops)
Black-backed Gull (Larus dominicanus)
Red-billed Gull
(Larus scopulinus)
White-Fronted Tern
(Sterna striata)
Caspian Tern
(Sterna caspia)