On our zipline ecotour you’re sure to hear many of our native birds when your soaring through the canopy. Our beautiful ancient forest is filled with all sorts of birds including Kereru, Tui, North Island Robin, Kaka, Long-tailed Cuckoo, tomtits and fantails. If you’re lucky you may even get to hand feed one of the wild native birds on tour with us! Here are a few of the birds to keep an eye out for on our ecotour.
New Zealand Pigeon
Maori: Kererū
Endemic to New Zealand, the kereru is a large bird usually found in forested areas throughout both the North and the South Islands. These native birds are vital to the regeneration and growth of our native forests. Kereru are usually easy to spot because of their size and the distinctive noisy beat of their wings when flying. They have beautiful iridescent green and bronze feathers on their head and a white chest. Click here to learn more
Tui
Maori: Tūī
The majestic Tui is endemic to New Zealand and can often be heard singing its beautiful melodies in our forests and our backyards long before they are seen. The Tui has some of the most complex and special bird songs in the world. This beautiful bird is often a favourite with New Zealanders with its magnificent metallic sheen and a distinctive tuft of white feathers under its chin (poi). Click here to learn more.
North Island Robin
Maori: Toutouwai
The North Island robin is a very friendly and trusting bird and is endemic to New Zealand. This curious wee bird is known to come within a couple of metres of people and here on our ecotours some robins are cheeky enough to come and feed off your hand! Click here to learn more
Kaka – Bush Parrot
Maori : Kākā
The kaka are found in large forested areas throughout NZ and travel widely in search of food. They sometimes pass through the forest from time to time and we are hoping that in the coming years they will stay to breed. They are very vulnerable to Stoats, Cats and even Possum which we are working to keep out of our forest so the kaka can stay around. Click here to learn more.
Long Tailed Cuckoo
Maori: Koekoea
The long-tailed cuckoo is a migrant to New Zealand - they breed in our forest over the summer and spend our winter in the Pacific Islands. From October they can be heard but they are hard to see as they move quite swiftly, if you are lucky enough you might be able to see them on the ecotour. Click here to learn more.
Tomtit
Maori: Miromiro
The white chested tomtit is endemic to New Zealand and you can find good numbers of them in our forest. They are quiet birds most of the year but in about August we hear them start calling loudly indicating that the breeding season isn’t far away. Click here to learn more.
Fantail
Maori : Pīwakawaka
The beautiful fantail is one of the most common and widely distributed native birds in New Zealand. These friendly little characters are well known for their unique fan-shaped tail. You can find them all over our forest – when there are small insects flying in swarms around the treetops you can spot the fantails feeding on them while standing on our platforms. While on our ecotour you can try to spot them with their long tails opened into a fan. Click here to learn more.
Seeing all the birds and learning more about our native species while you’re zipping through the forest is definitely a highlight of our ecotour. Conservation is extremely important in New Zealand and we love teaching you amazing things about our native environment on your adventure with us. Every customer that comes on our ecotour contributes to the conservation of the forest and helps revive this breathtakingly unique place. Since 2012, we have removed 1000’s of pests that were destroying this environment and the ancient forest has been transformed into an eco-sanctuary teeming with life.
