Birdlife on Banks Peninsula
New Zealand is one of the major seabird centres of the world. Because of the country's extensive coastline and many inshore and offshore islands, it is possible for the keen observer to see more seabirds here than in most other countries. Three-quarters of the world's albatrosses, penguins and petrels and half the shearwaters and shags are to be found here, along with numerous representatives of a number of other groups.
Cormorants or Shags
There are five types of cormorant - the Spotted, Pied, Little Pied, Little Black and White Throated Little Black.
These birds spend a large proportion of their day fishing or drying off. They saturate their feathers when fishing making them less buoyant, then spend a lot of the day drying themselves off again.
The shags nest in dry overhanging cliffs and generally have large nests as their chicks grow to almost adult size within six weeks of hatching.
The spotted shag changes colour in spring. It develops a bottle green colour around its face to attract a mate.
Black Backed Gulls (Karoro)
This is the biggest gull in New Zealand, and one of the smartest seabirds. They bond for life and are very territorial. They mainly eat plankton but will also scavenge off people and their garbage. It takes these birds four years to get their adult plumage.
Red Billed Gulls (Tarapunga)
These pristine little seagulls are the most common New Zealand seabirds and can often be seen in town, helping you eat your lunch. Grown birds have red beaks and legs, while younger birds have a brown beak and legs.
Northern Giant Petrel (Kuaka)
An oceanic scavenger bird that is occasionally seen around the harbour heads and closely related to the albatross family.
Australasian Gannet (Takapu)
A large seabird noted for its yellow head, they dive into the water like a lance when they spot a fish. Gannets are one of the longest living seabirds, with a life span of 25 – 38 years.
Cape Pigeon or Petrel
A common seabird, with a black head and neck and white belly, easily distinguished by the black and white spots on their wings and tail.
White-fronted Terns
The most common New Zealand tern, this is a protected native species. These birds migrate to Australia for the winter and can often be found feeding above the dolphins.
Mollymawk/Albatross (Toroa)
This very large and graceful oceanic bird is a middle sized member of the albatross family and is the most commonly found albatross in the Southern Hemisphere. They can be identified by their distinctive brightly coloured yellow or orange bills. Mollymawks are at risk from the long bait lines set by fishing boats, with up to 44,000 albatrosses dying each year.
Canadian Geese
Now quite rare in its homeland, this sub-species is the largest of the Canadian Geese and appears in New Zealand in large numbers. Canadian geese migrate by day or night and are capable of travelling thousands of miles at a time, navigating by stars and landmarks. They are often considered a pest due to their habit of overgrazing lawns and crops. It is legal to shoot the geese in New Zealand during hunting season.
