Another extinct bird: New Zealand’s prehistoric swan
2017-07-26
Curator of vertebrates, Alan Tennyson, discusses new findings published today that New Zealand and the Chatham Islands had their own unique prehistoric swan. Read more
A new bird for New Zealand – Cox’s sandpiper
2017-05-08
The latest addition to the New Zealand bird list is a legendary shorebird so rare that there are times when it is likely that none exist anywhere in the world. Bird expert Colin Miskelly introduces the Cox’s sandpiper.Read more
Cuckoos and their toxic prey – ‘urticated’ inside and out
2017-03-27
Cuckoos can stomach toxic caterpillars, but it appears they are also impervious to being stung externally, as bird expert Colin Miskelly discovers.Read more
The global hunt for the original wandering albatross
2017-03-10
Vertebrate Curator Alan Tennyson explores the history of the name of the wandering albatross and the hunt for the original specimens. The wandering albatross is one of the world’s greatest ocean wanderers, with individuals circumnavigating the Southern Ocean and travelling 120,000 km in a year. These albatrosses have been among the mostRead more
A new bird for New Zealand – laughing gull
2017-03-07
Christmas arrived two days early for Waikato bird-watchers Annette Taylor and David Riddell when they spotted New Zealand’s first laughing gull.Read more
11,000 images on New Zealand Birds Online – and the Brooks family’s Big Year
2017-02-24
The 11,000th image loaded on New Zealand Birds Online was of a rare vagrant Australian duck, and it comes with an inspirational back-story of family-based discovery and adventure.Read more
DNA reveals relationships of the extinct Scarlett’s shearwater
2017-01-31
Research scientist Lara Shepherd and vertebrate curator Alan Tennyson look at the relationships of extinct seabird, the Scarlett’s shearwater (Puffinus speleus) in a newly published paper.Read more
Dusky Sound – rich in history and wildlife
2016-12-07
A team of Te Papa scientists recently visited Dusky Sound as the first stage in an investigation of changes in biodiversity since Cook’s visit in 1773. Read more
Feather identification workshop, Whanganui Regional Museum
2016-12-05
In a collaboration between National Services Te Paerangi and Whanganui Regional Museum, Te Papa’s bicultural researcher Hokimate Harwood brought her extensive feather identification skills to a community of 30 weavers and bird enthusiasts earlier this year. Hokimate’s feather identification research looks to decode materials and messages within kākahu | featherRead more
Cuckoos, toxic caterpillars, citizen science, and cinerarias
2016-10-28
Cuckoos are well-known for eating spiky and poisonous foods, but did you know they can eat toxic monarch caterpillars?Read more
Life through a burrowscope lens on subterranean Taumaka (Open Bay Islands)
2016-10-10
See fur seal pups, prions, little penguins, and Fiordland crested penguins caught on camera through a burrowscope lens on Taumaka (Open Bay Islands).Read more
Birdlife of Taumaka (Open Bay Islands)
2016-10-03
Taumaka is a 20 ha Māori-owned island lying off the South Westland coast. Administered by the Taumaka me Popotai Trust, the island is well-known as a breeding site for kekeno / New Zealand fur seals and tawaki / Fiordland crested penguins. Both species were studied on the island by studentsRead more