Sea and Shore
Albatross
An albatross chick's flowerpot is its castle
The Chatham Island Taiko Trust has made flowerpot nests for 50 Chatham Island albatross chicks that are part of a pioneering translocation from The Pyramid to the main Chatham Island. Audio, Gallery
Dunedin's royal albatrosses and #royalcam
There are 26 chicks in the royal albatross colony at Dunedin's Taiaroa Head this year - and the #royalcam chick is very much in the public spotlight. Video, Audio
Wandering Albatrosses
Gibson's and Antipodes wandering albatross populations have declined by 50% in the last 10 years Audio
Albatross By-catch
This project tracks white-capped albatrosses to work out how much they overlap with the subantarctic squid fishery. Audio
Albatrosses on Campbell Island
Alison Ballance visits the main breeding ground of the southern royal albatross with DOC scientist Peter Moore. Audio
Wandering Albatrosses
Kath Walker and Graeme Elliott have been studying the Gibson's wandering albatross on Adam's Island since 1991. Audio
Dotterels
Banding together for banded dotterels
George Hobson is a teenager with a passion for birds - especially the banded dotterels that nest on Eastbourne's beach. Audio
New Zealand Dotterels on Great Barrier Island
Botanist and bird watcher John Ogden is passionate about making Great Barrier Island pest-free - and keeping an eye on his local shorebirds Audio
Ducks
Flightless Teal
Murray Williams talks about Campbell and Auckland islands' flightless ducks. Audio
Godwits
Bar-tailed Godwits
Jesse Concklin and a group of shorebird experts explain what cannons and"twinkling"have to do with catching godwits. Audio
Bar-tailed Godwits - part 2
The cannon nets have been fired and Jesse Concklin and Phil Battley retrieve data loggers from the godwits they have caught. Audio
Gulls
Long-term Gull Study
A 49-year study of a red-billed gull colony at Kaikoura reveals surprising information about the familiar bird Audio
Oystercatchers
Chatham Island Oystercatchers
Chatham Island oystercatchers have responded well to management that includes moving nests up the beach away from waves Audio
Penguins
Tawaki bust penguin swimming records
Twice a year tawaki or Fiordland crested penguins make migrations of many thousands of kilometres to the south to feed at the Polar Front. Audio
Tawaki - the mysterious forest penguin
Scientists are discovering that tawaki, or Fiordland crested penguins, living in MIlford Sound are thriving - and breaking all the penguin rules. Audio
Mena the penguin-detector dog
Alastair Judkins is a penguin hunter - and his secret weapon is a 'super nose', a dog called Mena. Alison Ballance joins them on a little penguin search in Wellington. Audio
Yellow-eyed penguin numbers hit new low
Yellow-eyed penguins have hit their lowest numbers on mainland New Zealand since the early 1990s, and it's the result of a number of issues in the marine environment Audio
Wellington's Little Penguins
Predator-free Matiu-Somes Island, in Wellington Harbour, is a hotspot for little penguins - and penguin research Audio
Waitaha Penguin Out, Yellow-Eyed Penguin In
A new study shows that yellow-eyed penguins colonised New Zealand within just a few decades of the Waitaha penguin becoming extinct Audio
Yellow-eyed Penguins at the Auckland Islands
A team of paying volunteers join Department of Conservation staff to count yellow-eyed penguins Audio
West Coast Little Blues
On the West Coast, people and their cars are a bigger threat than predators to little blue penguins Audio
Little Penguins on Matiu-Somes Island
Little penguins are thriving in Wellington Harbour, thanks to nest boxes and regenerating forest on Matiu-Somes Island. Audio
New Extinct Penguin
Scientists have discovered a new species of penguin whose extinction allowed hoiho to colonise New Zealand. Audio
Giant Fossil Penguins
Two new species of giant fossil penguin species named Kairuku from 28 million years ago Audio
Places for Penguins
Dacia Herbulock joins the volunteers at a coastal revegetation project dedicated to the little blue penguin or kororaa. Audio
Petrels
Rediscovered - the New Zealand storm petrel
The Northern New Zealand Seabird Trust has been trying to solve the many mysteries of our smallest seabird, the New Zealand storm petrel, which breeds on Hauturu / Little Barrier Island. Audio, Gallery
Taiko take off
With just 120-or-so known adult birds, 21 new chicks are a very welcome addition to the Chatham Island taiko population. Audio
Black Petrels - New Zealand's Most At-Risk Seabird
Black petrels are a common sight at sea in the Hauraki Gulf, and are at risk from being accidentally caught by recreational and commercial fishers Audio
New Zealand Storm Petrel
Ten years after its rediscovery, the breeding ground of the New Zealand storm petrel was finally discovered on Little Barrier Island Audio
Chatham Petrels
Chatham petrels are one of the world's rarest seabirds, but simple innovative techniques have seen their numbers slowly recover Audio
Rangatira Night Shift
At night Rangatira Island is alive with seabirds, wetas, spiders, and war whooping scientists catching Chatham petrels Audio
Chatham Island Taiko
DoC ranger Pat Liddy is part of a team working to protect rare Chatham Island taiko during the breeding season Audio
Taiko Rediscovery
David Crockett recounts the momentous rediscovery of the Chatham Island taiko Audio
Seabirds, Rodents and Islands
The winner of the Prime Minister's Emerging Scientist Prize visits Goat Island to study grey-faced petrels Audio
Westlands Black Petrel (Environment)
The seabirds' important role for the dispersion of marine nutrients. Audio
Plovers
Tracking Pacific golden plovers around the world
A satellite tracking programme is revealing, for the first time, where New Zealand's Pacific golden plovers or kuriri migrate to breed. Audio
Prions
Dunedin's Secret Seabird Cliffs
Since he discovered a colony of fairy prions breeding on the sea cliffs of St Clair, Graeme Loh has provided artificial burrows and monitored the small seabird population Audio
Mystery of the Whalebirds
Te Papa scientists examine specimens of prions to find out why 300,000 were beach-wrecked during a massive storm in 2011 Audio
Shags
Human hunting and Stewart Island Shags
Hunting by Maori had very different effects on the Stewart Island and Otago populations of Stewart Island shags. Audio
Spotted Shags at Tata Beach
Spotted shags gather at a Golden Bay beach in large numbers at dawn to bathe, and to swallow and regurgitate stones Audio
Shearwaters
Successful new seabird colony on Matiu Somes Island
Eight years ago volunteers began translocating fluttering shearwater chicks to Wellington's Matiu Somes Island to establish what is now a growing seabird colony. Audio
Seabird hotspot - the Poor Knights Islands
A team of seabird experts experience the joys and challenges of counting Buller's shearwaters on the predator-free Poor Knights Islands. Audio
Good news for Kaikōura's Hutton shearwaters
The first ground visit to the Hutton's shearwater breeding colony since the November 2017 Kaikōura earthquake shows damage not as bad as feared. Audio
Hutton's Shearwater Translocation
The Hutton's Shearwater Charitable Trust is translocating chicks to establish a new colony on Kaikoura Peninsula. Audio
Sooty Shearwaters on Mana Island
Sooty shearwaters are great ocean travellers, and seabird scientists are using geolocators to record their journeys Audio
New Residents on Matiu-Somes Island
A new population of fluttering shearwater chicks is settling into their new home in the middle of Wellington Harbour Audio
Terns
New Zealand's Rarest Breeding Bird
Alison Ballance heads out to a Northland beach to find New Zealand fairy terns, our rarest birds. Audio
Gallery
Some of the birds that feature in these stories
More About Birds on Radio New Zealand
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Ngā Manu
Listen to all of the bird calls from Morning Report. -
Birdwatching on This Way Up
Finding out about New Zealand's birds with birdwatcher Hugh Robertson. -
The Secret Life of Bird Calls
The first songs that echoed across this land came from birds.