10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

You can’t say the same about migration: you can’t say that every book about birds is necessarily about migration, for the simple reason that only about 4,000 bird species migrate (with some 1,800 of those traveling long distances). (Well, purely physical attributes play a part, too: they’re pretty good looking.).

Alaska 209

Alaska Breeding Kenya Africa 209

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2012

But names aren’t everything and there is plenty to say about this species. Male Brown Teal showing some breeding plumage. Females and non-breeding males look similar The Brown Teal is endemic to New Zealand, and was once lumped with two closely related island forms, the Auckland Island Teal and the Campbell Teal.

New Zealand 172

New Zealand Ducks 2000 Breeding 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2012

If you’ve read my posts before you’d know I’ve written at length about the devastating effects of introduced mammals in New Zealand, and also of the ways that New Zealanders have been working to save their species from those same mammals.

Mice 158

Mice New Zealand Albatross Mammals 158

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2014

It is also known for the 500 exotic species of animals and plants that now call the Sunshine State home. Exotic species are animals that did not historically occur in Florida. One such species is the familiar mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). The New Zealand Grey Duck is nearly extinct as species.

Florida 207

Florida Ducks New Zealand Feral 207

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Kaikoura, in New Zealand’s South Island, is arguably the best place in the world to see albatrosses and petrels. And the endemic Hutton’s Shearwater, which only breeds in Kaikoura, will keep you entertained for those few minutes till the albatrosses hit. So yeah, if you want seabirds, you want New Zealand.

Albatross 183

Albatross New Zealand Dolphins Whales 183

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

I’ve written before at length about how New Zealand is pretty much the best place in the world to see petrels of all kinds, so with these guys on the brain it seemed natural to write about them today. They have a circumpolar distribution, breeding in vast numbers in the islands around Antarctica, as well as on Antarctica itself.

New Zealand 158

New Zealand Albatross South Africa Brazil 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2016

I’ve always planned to do a post on this species and always been scared that I’ll probably get some of the pictures wrong. What were three species, Royal Albatross, Wandering Albatross and Amsterdam Albatross , are now seven. So here’s some Antipodean Albatrosses! The mighty Antipodean Albatross.

Albatross 100

Albatross New Zealand Breeding Species 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2013

I once worked with banders who used to use the ratio of the lengths of the primary projections (or some other voodoo like that) and an alchemical tome known as the Pyle Guide to separate some species. This spoke very clearly to me that people who claim to be able to separate these species in the field were either birding gods or delusional.

New Zealand 163

New Zealand Albatross Breeding Species 163

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2016

So let’s celebrate some good news today; Kakapo are having one of their best ever breeding seasons since European settlement. . Endemic to New Zealand, it has been declining since humans arrived but crashed after the arrival of Europeans and the species Europeans introduced. Kakapo are strange birds.

New Zealand 114

New Zealand Parrots Breeding Humane 114

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2012

While albatrosses are found year-round on the tours out of Kaikoura, the best season for them is winter and not all species are common year round. One such species is the Black-browed Albatross, which is possible but not guaranteed in December. Be sure to support campaigns to save these magnificent birds.

Albatross 126

Albatross New Zealand 2008 Georgia 126

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Petrel Paradise Petrel Paradise By Duncan • March 2, 2011 • 4 comments Tweet Share I’ve mentioned before that New Zealand is a great place for enjoying petrels.

New Zealand 175

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

We recently had a long weekend here in New Zealand and I took the opportunity to, while visiting the lovely wine country of Marlborough, to drop by for a lunchtime visit out to the marine canyon to see what could be seen. This Red-billed Gull is a New Zealand endemic after all! Lots of Cape Pigeons could be seen.

Albatross 158

Albatross New Zealand Fish Breeding 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

The Buller’s Mollymawk is an endemic breeder to New Zealand, although it ranges widely away from the islands to feed, and regularly goes to South America’s Humboldt Current to feed. As albies go they seem to be doing better than most species, and are only listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN.

Albatross 210

Albatross New Zealand South America Breeders 210

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2011

One of only two species in the plover genus Thinornis , the other being Australia’s Hooded Plover , this species is another New Zealand endemic. Until recently the species certainly only hung on to existence on two small islands in that group, but this distribution is an artefact of a long decline.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Penguins Endangered Species Species 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2011

I’m not sure what the collective noun for a group of petrels is, but the vets and wildlife carers of New Zealand might be forgiven for thinking that it might be a wreck after this week. This is the largest species of prion and perhaps the one that best suits the alternative name whalebird. Oh, there they are.

New Zealand 187

New Zealand Vet Collecting Geese 187

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Seals 157

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

The drake of this extremely common, sexually dimorphic species ( Anas platyrhynchos ) cuts a fine form with his iridescent emerald dome and chestnut breast. Answers will be forthcoming, but for now, I can tell you that they are all members of the mallard complex , a roster of about 20 closely-related Anas -species ducks around the world.

Purebred 126

Purebred Ducks New Zealand 2011 126

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2019

In the end, I truly did set out to reduce the number of birds that I feature here from 1302, my years total species, down to 10-12. The Southern Brown Kiwi on Stewart Island, New Zealand, that ran down the path in front of me, was never captured. The first bird in that grouping would be the White-crowned Helmut-shrike.

2018 162

2018 Costa Rica South Africa New Zealand 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2011

While I often tease Corey about how many albatrosses we have down here in New Zealand, the fact is that the United States has three species of Albatross that breed within its boundaries, albeit one of them only very rarely, and visit the western shores of North America. It took ages, but it was a constant delight.

Albatross 175

Albatross Hawaii New Zealand United States 175

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2011

In fact I first saw this species off the ferry to South Island a number of Christmases ago, but these particular beauties were seen on my pelagic trip off Northland. Fairy Prions are probably the most common prion found in New Zealand, and breed from the subAntarctic islands to the south of Stewart Island to Northland.

New Zealand 170

New Zealand Breeding Australia Species 170

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

After writing this last sentence, I looked up the species in the HBW and found the sentence “Song poorly documented” in the appropriate section, while with regard to calls, the description is that “call is a two-note raspy nasal ‘ryeeh-reh’”. In New Zealand, the Spotted Dove is an introduced species.

Singapore 147

Singapore Mountain Goats Birds Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2017

This is a bird blog, and my beat is New Zealand, so let me talk about a fish I saw in Australia. In fact, puffers are pretty antisocial, and this species is noted as being that and solitary on the Wikipedia page of the species. I can’t explain it, maybe some kind of breeding aggregation?

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Porcupines Fish New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

So close to the pole only a handful of bird species can survive, and even so, death toll is very high, hence their populations must be huge (millions). There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. On the Balleny Islands Antarctic Fulmar , Antarctic Prion and Cape Petrel also breed. And the Mammals.

Russia 173

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 173

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2013

Of course Africa could not to be left out of the pink weekend so I have researched all African species whose official or alternative names include the word “pink”. Great White Pelicans showing the pink flush of breeding plumage. Another not very pink species is the Pink-footed Puffback. Pink-throated Twinspot.

Africa 211

Africa Somalia Pelicans Mozambique 211

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2016

The beach is in fact named after Captain John Alfred Reddell, who was murdered on 20th October 1899 on board the “Ethel” when he was returning to New Zealand on one of his journeys to transport supplies for the pearl luggers working out of Broome. Standing behind shorebirds an hour after the tide has turned.

Taiwan 119

Taiwan New Zealand Breeding Japan 119

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2012

They have more recently been introduced to the South Island of New Zealand, where they are known as the German Owl. As ever, controversy accompanied the introduction and accusations were made against the owl that it was killing native bird species. Occasional birds taken were introduced aliens.

Owls 177

Owls New Zealand Europe Mammals 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2013

One of the nice things about living in New Zealand and being the beat writer for that place is that I can pretty much make sure Corey feels jealous of my year list year in year out, regardless of how few birds I have seen and how many he has seen. I was lucky to work with the species on Tern Island in French Frigate Shoals.

Albatross 157

Albatross Hawaii North America California 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2011

And species-level taxonomy of the tubenoses remains a great frontier for study and discovery. Because most of these birds nest on islands and travel enormous distances across open ocean, their breeding habits are in some cases poorly known. Northern Storm-Petrels Leach’s Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa ) © David J.

Albatross 181

Albatross Penguins Groups New Zealand 181

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2011

Ruddy Turnstone is a Species of Least Concern according to BirdLife International. It has an enormous range, occurring in such far-flung locales as New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Alaska, Greenland, and Brazil, to name just a few. It is one of two turnstone species, the other being the Black Turnstone A.

Saudi Arabia 157

Saudi Arabia New Zealand Brazil United States 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2012

This time I’m not talking about the petrels of New Zealand, but those of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Wedge-tailed Shearwaters The commonest of the two shearwater species you can find on the island, this species has burrows all over the place. You can see more Wedge-tailed Shearwater photos here.

Albatross 126

Albatross Hawaii Japan New Zealand 126

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

But, I did take many photos, and used the book, in spurts during the trip and more closely afterward, to identify three seabird species, two expected (Sooty and Black-vented Shearwaters) and one a surprise. It does not include near-shore, coastal species, like Brown Pelican, Elegant Tern, and Harbor Seal.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2014

For one, they are remarkably diverse with a little over 380 species spread over every continent except Europe (only introduced) and Antarctica. Brazil, in particular, is the country with the largest number of parrot species in the world with approximately 84 species. I am a self-proclaimed psittacophile. Most do not.

Parrots 168

Parrots Brazil Mauritius Dominica 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2013

Mt Bruce, since you ask, is the Department of Conservation’s premier endangered bird breeding centre. The centre now encompasses native bush into which some of these endangered species have been released. (It Long-finned Eels swam in the rivers, and in their pens the breeding Blue Ducks where whistling away.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Raised Rats Endangered Species 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2012

The shorebirds will continue north to their breeding grounds once they have acquired the necessary energy to make the final leg of their trip. The Red Knot are surrounded by other smaller species in Roebuck Bay now, as the Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-tailed Godwits and Great Knots have mainly migrated to breed.

China 171

China New Zealand Australia Asia 171

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

There are few stories in ornithology I enjoy more than those of a Lazarus taxon, a species thought to be extinct being found alive and well in some hidden part of the world. New Zealand has had its share of rediscovered birds too. A blurry photo of the New Zealand Storm-petrel ( Oceanites maorianus, or is it?),

New Zealand 190

New Zealand India 2003 Collecting 190

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2016

The name of these terns comes from their utter fearlessness on their breeding grounds, which was sadly taken for foolhardiness. I was lucky enough to have the chance to spend time with four species on French Frigate Shoals in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands , on the aptly named Tern Island. One of these species was the Brown Noddy.

Groups 100

Groups Breeding Species New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2016

I didn’t have long to stay at the reserve so I did a quick walk through the ornamental pools near the entrance – as in many WWT reserves these are given over to the breeding collections of exotic species (although these are smaller in London than elsewhere.

Geese 100

Geese New Zealand Germany Ducks 100