Slender-billed White-eye

New Zealand’s smallest kiwi species. Light grayish brown with white horizontal banding or “spotting” along the length of the body. Restricted to offshore predator-free island sanctuaries and to the mainland Zealandia sanctuary in Wellington. More often heard than seen, including loud sniffling as it forages for invertebrates. Male produces a series of burry, rising high-pitched whistles. Female has a lower ascending burry whistle. Both sexes repeat their call many times, often duetting. Could be confused with Weka by voice and shape; look for the kiwi’s much longer bill and lack of tail, and listen for its multisyllabic call.

Also known as Rock Shag, this rather small cormorant is fairly common along rocky coasts where it feeds mainly in inshore waters. Nests colonially on cliffs and other steep surfaces, sometimes on jetties with colonies of Imperial Cormorants. Adult is distinctive with a white body, black head and neck with variable white face patch, and a red eyering. All-dark juvenile told from Neotropic Cormorant by pink feet and dark face with reddish eyering.

Small, greenish-brown piculet. Light olive brown, with horizontal barring on the breast changing to vertical streaking on the belly, and a black-and-white speckled crown. Males have a yellow forehead patch. Forages singly or in pairs around the midstory and canopy of secondary rainforest, sometimes joining mixed-species flocks with tanagers and other species. Its song is a high, two- or three-note “sweet, sweet,” similar to the songs of other piculets.