Birds and Insects
Unusual birds
New Zealand's geological history is unique. The country broke away from the prehistoric southern continent of Gondwanaland before mammals first appeared. Isolated for around 80 million years, it became a paradise for birds. In the absence of predators, some of these birds became ground-dwellers and lost the use of their wings, including New Zealand’s most famous bird and national symbol, the kiwi. The nocturnal kiwi has been described as the most ‘unbirdlike’ bird in the world, with its nostrils at the end of its beak, loose hair-like feathers and whiskers. The kiwi is an endangered bird following the introduction of predators such as stoats, ferrets, cats and dogs. However the Department of Conservation has a recovery programme that should see the bird numbers increase.
New Zealand is also home to the world’s only flightless parrot, the rare kakapo, and the world’s only alpine parrot, the kea.
The absence of predators in ancient times meant many birds evolved to become huge - the most striking example was the now-extinct moa (related to the emu and ostrich), which stood two metres tall. There were 11 species of moa, but the only place these can now be found is as skeletal remains, in major museums around the country.
The weta - relic from the past
New Zealand is home to fierce-looking but harmless insects known as the weta, of which there are numerous species. They look like a cross between crickets and grasshoppers, but are larger and usually brown. The biggest - the giant weta - is found on Little Barrier Island and is called weta punga. One pregnant female was found to weigh 71 grams, bigger than a thrush! The Stephen’s Island weta is around 30gms, twice the weight of some mice. Weta rarely bite - they will only do so if threatened. Many weta are protected, and are almost unchanged from their ancestors of 190 million years ago.
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