New Zealand doesn't have much in the way of indigenous mammals (just one bat actually) but it has an amazing array of unique birds. So it is only appropriate that I get in some bird shots...
The Takahe (pronounced Taka-Hey) is one of NZ's many flightless birds. When the islands broke away from Australia during the age of the birds, there were not mammal predators, so many birds became larger and unable to fly. These birds like to live in the tussock, sampy and grassy areas of NZ, but due to loss of habitat and predation by human-introduced animals, there are only about 250 left in the world.
The Korimako or Bell Bird is another native with an extremely melodic sound. It likes shaded areas and the deep forests.
This is another of the Tui, another native that is recovering well. It can mimmick other birds so listening for it can be a bit confusing. The colours are amazing as it's feathers change colour with their angle to the sun. The ruffles under the neck are called wattles and the Tui shares that characteristic with several other natives.
