Waiheke Wildlife
Kororā - Little Blue Penguin
Kororā are the smallest species of penguin. They are primarily nocturnal on land and return to nesting areas at dusk which are found dotted along some of the Waiheke Island coastline. Kororā are sometimes found close to human settlements and often nest under and around coastal buildings, keeping the owners awake at night with their noisy guttural calls!
They feed at sea as solitary individuals or small groups. Little penguins are predated on by stoats. They are particularly vulnerable during moulting season from January to March where they stay ashore for a two week period. They respond well to predator control and provision of nest boxes to provide safe nesting sites.
Photo: Craig McKenzie
Kākā - Bush Parrot
A large, olive-brown parrot with a grey-white crown, red-orange underwing and a deep crimson belly and under-tail. They are often heard before they are seen; a harsh, repeated, rhythmic “ka-aa” noise when they fly through the trees and also a variety of loud, musical whistles.
Mainland populations of kākā have been decimated by stoat predation - predator free offshore islands are the best option for kākā to flourish. Stoats predate primarily on the nesting females and chicks who are unable to escape them while in nests.
Waiheke Forest & Bird, along with a number of landowners have been working hard to control stoats around kākā nests and ōi burrows on our island. If you find kākā nesting on your property or see ōi burrows please let us know at info@tekorowaiowaiheke.org.
Photo: Peter Rees
Tūī - Parson Bird
Tūī are usually very vocal, with tuneful notes interspersed with coughs, grunts and wheezes! They look black from a distance, but in good light, tūī have a blue, green and bronze iridescent sheen.
They’re also known as the Parson’s bird for their white neck ‘ruff’. They fly big distances – at least 10km in search of a good feed. Keep them near your house by planting flowering trees in your garden, such as puriri, kōwhai and camellias. Stoats and rats are key predators of tūī.
Photo: Peter Rees
Ruru - Morepork
The morepork is a small, compact, dark-brown feathered owl. Its striking yellow to green eyes are set into two disks either side of a small sharply hooked bill. The legs are feathered down to the yellow feet. Its distinctive “more-pork” call is commonly heard at night. Birds that appear to be calling together in a ‘duet’ are usually rival males duelling. Their diet consists of insects, small mammals and birds, which they hunt at night.
Pīwakawaka - Fantail
Pīwakawaka or the New Zealand fantail is seen widely on the island and often approach within a metre or two of people as walking often disturbs insects – their favourite food. They have a distinctive fanned tail and a loud high pitched song. They are quite confident and often continue to build their nests or visit their nest with food when people are close by (as long as they are quiet). Ship rats predate on nesting adults, chicks and eggs.
Photo: Peter Rees
Kākāriki - NZ Parakeet
Kākāriki are medium-sized, emerald green, long-tailed parakeets. Kakariki the name has a dual meaning - “small parrot" but also refers to the colour green because of the birds' vibrant green plumage. They make a characteristic parakeet chatter and are often seen in small flocks.
The red-crowned parakeet was widespread throughout the mainland last century but today are restricted to pest-free offshore and outlying islands because of habitat destruction and predation by rats, possums and stoats.
Let us know if you have seen a kākāriki on Waiheke Island!
Ōi - Grey-Faced Petrel
Ōi, or grey-faced petrel, are an iconic seabird of Tīkapa Moana, the Hauraki Gulf. They are a large dark black/brown bird with long narrow wings, a long pointed tail and a short beak (with a large sharp hook).
Ōi are fast and graceful at sea, with a high soaring powerful flight. Their main flight calls are high pitched whistles.
Stoats and rats are major threats to ōi on their breeding grounds as their coordination on land suffers. Seabird colonies have strong smells also attractive to dogs. Please be responsible with dogs around the Waiheke Island coastline.
Tūturiwhatu - Dotterel
New Zealand dotterels are found on or near the coast around much of the North Island. They have nested at Whakanewha Regional Park for many years and more recently at Onetangi sports park and the Waiheke High School field. There are only 2075 Northern dotterels left in New Zealand due to rat and stoat predation, disturbance from human activities on beaches, loss of nests to big tides, and loss or degradation of habitat from development.
Dotterel protection programmes began in the 1980s, and normally include predator control, fencing of nesting areas, appointment of wardens to reduce disturbance, and advocacy. About 20-25% of the NZ dotterel population is now managed, including on Waiheke Island.
Photo: Peter Rees
Pūweto - Spotless Crake
The spotless crake is a small dark bird with orange-pink legs, a black beak and bright red eyes. It is a secretive bird that lives in freshwater wetlands, rarely venturing far from the cover of vegetation during daylight. Their habitat has been widely lost across New Zealand through the destruction of lowland wetlands for agriculture. Given they are infrequently seen, it may be easier to hear a spotless crake. Let us know if you see one!
Introduced predators like rats and stoats prey on spotless crakes.
Pāteke - Brown Teal
Ducks
Pāteke (brown teal ducks) are endemic (only found) in New Zealand and were widespread 200 years ago but became highly endangered due mainly to the impacts of introduced predators and habitat loss. They are the rarest waterfowl on the mainland.
Both sexes of brown teal are darkish brown, but males in breeding plumage have an indistinct green iridescence on the head. Females and juveniles are a uniformly dull but dark mottled brown. Both sexes have a conspicuous white eye ring, dark-grey bill, legs and feet, and dark brown eye.
Brown teal ducks are monogamous and generally fiercely territorial. Both parents guard the ducklings during their 50-55 days until fledging. Brown teal diet is diverse including terrestrial, freshwater and marine invertebrates, fungi, and terrestrial and freshwater vegetation.
Kererū - Wood Pigeon
Kererū are one of the larger native birds on the island and you may hear the noisy beat of their wings before you see them! They play an important role in seed dispersal, being one of the few birds big enough to eat large fruit and disperse their seeds over long distances. This is really important for regenerating our native forests. Kererū have a habit of flying into windows. Discourage this habit by hanging mobiles in front of windows. Stoats and rats predate on kererū.
Photo: Peter Rees
Insects - Aitanga pepeke
There are over 20,000 insect species in New Zealand and only 200 species of birds - insects are essenti. Sources: Te Papa, Forest and Bird and Te ara Encyclopedia to our natural world.
A wide range of insects is predated by stoats and rats - mainly the larger ones. This impacts the Waiheke ecosystem because insects are the gardeners and engineers of our ecosystem, making soil, pollinating flowers, and food for our other native species.
Not having diverse insect fauna is like building a house without good foundations, it will eventually fall over.
Gecko - Mokomoko
Geckos! The jewels in our forests.
Three gecko species are known on Waiheke Island; the forest geckos, pacific geckos, and Auckland green geckos. They are all tree-dwellers. Eyeshine at night is a good way of spotting geckos - look for red eyes in trees like manuka. But do not touch a gecko if you see one - human touch can damage their skin and they can panic and shed their tails which take up to five years to regrow!
Department of Conservation and Auckland Council have established a baseline monitoring programme with a five year resurvey period to measure abundance inside and outside areas where pest control is being undertaken.
Geckos are particularly vulnerable to rats.