Science Learning Hub logo
TopicsConceptsCitizen scienceTeacher PLDGlossary
Sign in
topics

birds

Conserving native birds – introduction

Article

Conserving native birds – introduction

New Zealand is world famous for its unique birdlife. In our resources on conserving our native birds, we look at ...

Read more
Building Science Concepts: Birds

Teacher PLD

Building Science Concepts: Birds

Explore the science concepts that underpin knowledge and understanding about birds and their structure, function and adaptations.

Read more
Ngā tohe tū mā ō tātou manu

Article

Ngā tohe tū mā ō tātou manu

He tohu te whakarerekētanga o te korihi a ngā manu kāore e tika ana tētahi āhuatanga mō te tangata whenua ...

Read more
Bellbird: Olive green, dark wing & tail feathers & curved beak

Article

Ngā manu a Tānemahuta

Aotearoa New Zealand is known worldwide for its unique native birdlife. Ngā manu a Tānemahuta have been taonga from the first moments of early Polynesian immigration. ...

Read more
Toroa – our giants of the skies

Article

Toroa – our giants of the skies

Of the world’s 22 species of albatross, nearly half can be found in Aotearoa. These include the wandering or snowy albatross (Diomedea exulans). Its wingspan of ...

Read more
Ngā urutaunga me te tautohunga manu

Article

Ngā urutaunga me te tautohunga manu

E whakapae ana kei te āhua 209 ngā momo manu whakawhānau i Aotearoa. Me pēhea tātou e mōhio he aha ngā momo manu e mātaitia ana ...

Read more
Te Tatauranga o ngā manu māra – te tūhura raraunga

Article

Te Tatauranga o ngā manu māra – te tūhura raraunga

He tohunga ō tātou tūpuna mō te āta mātaitanga. He mea whakamōhio i a rātou ngā raraunga mai i ngā mātaitanga i te manaakitanga o te ...

Read more
Manu – onamata, inamata, ānamata

Article

Manu – onamata, inamata, ānamata

He mea whakahirahira te manu ki te iwi Māori, he uri whakaheke nā Tāne Mahuta he mana nui tōna i te tirohanga mātairangi a te māori ...

Read more
Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa

Article

Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa

E whai ana Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa ki te whakamanawa i te kaitiakitanga mā roto i ngā kohakoha pūtaiao kirirarau ki te ...

Read more
Taking action for our birds

Article

Taking action for our birds

A change in birdsong was a tohu for mana whenua that something was not right in the Waitākere Ranges. A rāhui is a form of tapu ...

Read more
Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa – exploring data

Article

Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa – exploring data

Careful observation is something our tūpuna were experts at. Data collected from observations informed them in the care of mahinga kai by making predictions about weather ...

Read more
Bird adaptations and identification

Article

Bird adaptations and identification

It is estimated there are currently 209 breeding bird species in Aotearoa New Zealand. How can we tell what bird species we are observing? All living ...

Read more
Manu – past, present and future

Article

Manu – past, present and future

The association of birds as the children of Tāne Mahuta reflects their importance in Māori cosmology and their integral role in the natural world. They were ...

Read more
Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa – resources for kura

Article

Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa – resources for kura

Te Tatauranga o ngā Manu Māra o Aotearoa | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey strives to encourage kaitiakitanga through citizen science efforts to enhance knowledge and ...

Read more
Pūteketeke – it’s OK to laugh at Bird of the Century

Article

Pūteketeke – it’s OK to laugh at Bird of the Century

After a heated contest, New Zealand’s Bird of the Century was named in November 2023 – the puking and pompadoured pūteketeke. The victory isn’t just for ...

Read more
Huia, the Bird of the Century

Article

Huia, the Bird of the Century

The huia (Heteralocha acutirostris) was a majestic bird with vibrant orange wattles, shiny black feathers and white-tipped tail feathers. Unfortunately, this bird is extinct, with the ...

Read more
Call of the huia: how NZ’s bird of the century contest helps us express ‘ecological grief’

Article

Call of the huia: how NZ’s bird of the century contest helps us express ‘ecological grief’

By including five extinct species in its Bird of the Year competition, Forest & Bird is providing a way to mourn what we’ve lost – and ...

Read more
How did ancient moa survive the ice age – and what can they teach us about modern climate change?

Article

How did ancient moa survive the ice age – and what can they teach us about modern climate change?

One of New Zealand’s iconic moa species was almost wiped out during the last ice age according to recently published research. DNA from ancient eastern moa ...

Read more
Ruru monitoring

Article

Ruru monitoring

Have you been outside at night and heard the call of ruru, or maybe it sounds more like morepork to you? Ninox novae-zelandiae, the ruru or ...

Read more
How are satellites helping albatross?

Article

How are satellites helping albatross?

The toroa/northern royal albatross is one of the largest seabirds in the world! They are referred to as graceful giants of the ocean, and with a ...

Read more
Tupuārangi – land-based ecosystems

Article

Tupuārangi – land-based ecosystems

Tupuārangi is a whetū in the Matariki cluster. It is connected to food and growth above the ground and has a strong connection with birds. Aotearoa ...

Read more
Scientists using ‘fake news’ to stop predators killing endangered birds

Article

Scientists using ‘fake news’ to stop predators killing endangered birds

Scientists used ‘fake news’ to stop predators killing endangered shorebirds — and the result was remarkable. This article has been republished from The Conversation under Creative ...

Read more
Wetland animals

Article

Wetland animals

Wetland habitats are diverse places. They support an enormous range of animals from microscopic communities to some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest birds. Zooplankton are small ...

Read more
Ruru and repo restoration

Article

Ruru and repo restoration

The ruru (morepork, Ninox novae-zelandiae) is not an animal we normally associate with repo – wetlands. We are more likely to hear their haunting calls coming ...

Read more
Kākā – a conservation success story

Article

Kākā – a conservation success story

Kākā (Nestor meridionalis) are one of New Zealand’s endemic parrots and a great example of how concerted efforts can improve a native species’ conservation status. It ...

Read more
Conserving our native kiwi

Article

Conserving our native kiwi

The kiwi is New Zealand’s most iconic bird – we even call ourselves Kiwis – yet all kiwi species are threatened and require ongoing action to ...

Read more
  • ‹
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • ›

See our newsletters here.

NewsEventsAboutContact usPrivacyCopyrightHelp

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao is funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Science in Society Initiative.

Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao © 2007-2026 The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato