The weka is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. Four subspecies are recognized but only two (northern/southern) are supported by genetic evidence. Weka are sturdy brown birds, about the size of a chicken. As omnivores, they feed mainly on invertebrates and fruit. Weka usually lay eggs between August and January; both sexes help to incubate.
The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is New Zealand's national museum, located in Wellington. Known as Te Papa, or 'Our Place', it opened in 1998 after the merging of the National Museum and the National Art Gallery. More than 1.5 million people visit every year.
The South Island robin, is a sparrow-sized bird found only in New Zealand, where it has the status of a protected endemic species. The birds are sparsely distributed through the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura, although the distribution is not continuous. The nominate, and the Stewart Island robin are the two subspecies. The species is closely related to the North Island robin, and also to the extremely rare black robin of the Chatham Islands.
The New Zealand bellbird, also known by its Māori names korimako and makomako, is a passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It has greenish colouration and is the only living member of the genus Anthornis. The bellbird forms a significant component of the famed New Zealand dawn chorus of bird song that was much noted by early European settlers. The explorer Captain Cook wrote of its song "it seemed to be like small bells most exquisitely tuned". Its bell-like song is sometimes confused with that of the tui. The species is common across much of New Zealand and its offshore islands as well as the Auckland Islands.
The upland moa was a species of moa endemic to New Zealand. It was a member of the ratite family, a type of flightless bird with no keel on the sternum. It was the last moa species to become extinct, vanishing around 1500 CE, and was predominantly found in alpine and sub-alpine environments.
The New Zealand raven was native to the North Island and South Island of New Zealand but has been extinct since the 16th century. There were two subspecies: the North Island raven and the South Island raven. Another closely related species, the Chatham raven, occurred on the Chatham Islands.
The Chatham raven is a prehistoric raven formerly native to the Chatham Islands. The closely related New Zealand raven, C. antipodum occurred in the North and South Islands of New Zealand. C. antipodum was formerly included in C. moriorum, and later considered a distinct species, however in 2017 genetic research determined that the two raven populations were subspecies rather than separate species, having only split 130,000 years ago.
The Viti Levu giant pigeon or Fiji giant ground pigeon is an extinct flightless pigeon of Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji. It was only slightly smaller than the dodo and Rodrigues solitaire and is the first giant, flightless pigeon to be discovered on a Pacific island.
Petroica is a genus of Australasian robins, named for their red and pink markings. They are not closely related to the European robins nor the American robins.
The tomtit is a small passerine bird in the family Petroicidae, the Australasian robins. It is endemic to the islands of New Zealand, ranging across the main islands as well as several of the outlying islands. It has several other Māori and English names. There are several subspecies showing considerable variation in plumage and size. The species is not threatened and has adapted to the changes made to New Zealand's biodiversity.
The New Zealand bittern is an extinct and enigmatic species of heron in the family Ardeidae. It was endemic to New Zealand and was last recorded alive in the 1890s.
The Pitt shag, also known as the Pitt Island shag or Featherstone's shag is a species of bird in the family Phalacrocoracidae. It is endemic to Pitt Island. Its natural habitats are open seas and rocky shores. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Macquarie rail, also known as the Macquarie Island rail, is an extinct subspecies of the buff-banded rail endemic to Macquarie Island, a subantarctic island that is part of the state of Tasmania, Australia. The holotype is in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
The New Zealand stiff-tailed duck is an extinct duck species from New Zealand which is known only from subfossil remains. It was first described as a distinct species by Trevor H. Worthy in 2005.
Vitirallus watlingi, the Fiji rail or Viti Levu rail, was a prehistoric flightless bird from Fiji, and is the only species in the genus Vitirallus. Vitirallus watlingi is thought to have been about the same size as the bar-winged rail but with a very elongated and slender bill.
The New Zealand coot is an extinct bird in the rail family, Rallidae, that was endemic to New Zealand. It was described in 1893 by New Zealand naturalist, ethnologist and museum director Augustus Hamilton, from material he had collected the previous year at Castle Rocks on the Oreti River in Southland. The specific epithet comes from the Latin priscus ("old"), referring to its subfossil occurrence. Remains have subsequently been found at several sites in both North and South Islands.
Peripatoides kawekaensis is a species of velvet worm in the Peripatopsidae family. The type locality is in New Zealand's North Island.
Durvillaea chathamensis is a large, robust species of southern bull kelp endemic to the Chatham Islands of New Zealand.
