Ngakuta Bay Birdlife on the Foreshore

The foreshore of Ngakuta Bay has a rich bird life, some are permanent residents and some are anual visitors. The photos below were all taken at Ngakuta Bay and are copyright to each owner and should not be copied without specific permission. Please address any enquiries to the webmaster at the bottom of the page.


Caspian Turn or Taranui, Hydroprogne caspia visits Ngakuta Bay in small numbers every summer and is usally found amongst seagulls. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos is not indigenous to New Zealand and was first introduced from Australia in 1867 from English stock. They are common along the foreshore and persistent scavanges with visitors. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
A second Image of a mallard duck. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
White-faced heron or Matuku-moana, Ardea n. novaehollandiae regular visitor to Ngakuta Bay. Self-introduced from Australia. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge

There are two species of oystercatcher in New Zealand: The South Island pied oystercatcher or torea Haematopus ostralegus finschi, and the variable oystercatcher Haematopus unicolor or torea-pango. The latter occurs either pied or totally black. They arrive in Ngakuta Bay in the summer, and usually there is at least one black individual (see on the right of the photo). Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
Paradise duck or putakitaki/putangitangi, Tadorna variegata almost always occurs as a male and female pair. They are often to be seen grazing on the grassland along the foreshore of Ngakuta Bay. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
Pied stilt or Poaka, Himantopus himantopus is a self-introduced species that arrived about 1800 from Australia. Not often seen in Ngakuta Bay, but several usually arrive together, as with these four specimens seaward of the oyster catchers. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
A second image of a pied stilt at Ngakuta Bay. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge

Lady Amherst's Pheasant, Chrysolophus amherstiae was introduced to New Zealand in the early 1800s by whalers. They are native to south western China and Myanmar (Burma). Very rarely seen in Ngakuta Bay. This specimen was photographed by Peter Hosey's son in his property November 2007. Photo Peter Hosey Enlarge
The purple swamp hen or Pukeko, Porphyrio porphyrio melanotus. These colourful birds are common in Ngakuta Bay and should continue to breed freely here so long as predators are kept at bay. They are normally very shy but quickly learn to take tid-bits from people. Like the closely related takahe this bird flew from Australia millions of years ago. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
A second image of pukeko with young chicks. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
Another image of pukeko with fledglings. Note the beak has not developed the distinctive red colour. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge

Red-billed gull or Tarapunga Larus novaehollandiae is common the foreshore at all times of the year and is a consummate scavenger keeping our beaches clean. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
Royal spoonbill or kotuku ngutu papa Platalea regia. According to Oliver there were only six sightings of this bird in New Zealand prior to 1930, but have since started coming here more regularly from Australia and the south-west Pacific. Maori has a name for them so they must have been here in pre-European times, even if rarely. The Maori name literally means the broad-billed kotuku, in recognition to its similarity with the white heron (kotuku). Fifteen of these gracious birds appeared at Ngakuta Bay in 2005. Photo Toni Van Der Velden Enlarge
Another photo of the same group of Royal spoonbill. Photo Toni Van Der Velden Enlarge
White heron or kotuku. Egretta alba modesta. New Zealand is near the extreme limits of its distribution and is very rare here now (total population perhaps 100-120). Numbers were greatly reduced when the white feathers were used for women's hats. The kotuku occasionally visits Ngakuta Bay. This one was captured on film just as it flew off to other parts in 2010. Photo Toni Van Der Velden Enlarge

Wood hen or weka Gallirallus australis sbsp. is a flightless ground-dwelling rail. They can be extremely cheeky and even agressive once they decide they want something. They are adept at suddenly appearing from nowhere and then mysteriously disappearing, a trick which may partly be due to their muted but beautiful colouring which acts as camouflage. Weka populations have a strong tendency for boom and bust. Ngakuta Bay has had a sizeable number marauding about for several years. Young chicks are also common and the adult calls them with a distinctive booming sound, more noted amongt kakapo in New Zealand. Their more usual sound is a long drawn-out screech, especially at night. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
A young weka chick out exploring, but never far from Mum. Note the dark fluffy feathers of these youngsters. Photo Foss Leach Enlarge
A weka with two older chicks which are starting to get their adult colouring. Weka have an unusual way of observing their surroundings. They appear always to be examining things using peripheral vision, and certainly never make eye contact by looking straight at humans. This gives them a definite shifty persona. Photo Janey Thomas Enlarge

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Last modified on Sat 12 March 2011