Summer scholars: Working side-by-side with students
Every year, Te Papa partners with Victoria University in their Summer Research Scholarships initiative. Here, we introduce them and the projects they worked on.Read more
2019-04-01
Does Polly really want a cracker?
Head of Science Dr Susan Waugh introduces Dr Barbara Mizumo Tomotani, arriving in September to look at how our birdlife has adapted to human impact.Read more
2018-07-27
The petrels of Rangatira Island, Chatham Islands
Rangatira Island is world famous for its immense seabird colonies. Te Papa bird expert Colin Miskelly recently took leave to join a Department of Conservation team focussed on black robin and Chatham petrel recovery programmes on the island.Read more
2018-04-11
Furtive fauna of the Auckland Islands
Sea lions, albatrosses, and penguins usually grab the attention of visitors to the remote Auckland Islands south of New Zealand. But when Te Papa curators Colin Miskelly and Alan Tennyson explored the islands recently, they were focussed on species that are easily overlooked, and particularly those that come out after dark…Read more
2018-03-02
Albatrosses and petrels of the Auckland Islands
Bird experts Colin Miskelly and Alan Tennyson visited the islands in late January, and here they document some of the extraordinary diversity of seabirds that breed on these little-known islands.Read more
2018-02-20
12,000 images on New Zealand Birds Online – with help from Hungary
The 12,000th image loaded on New Zealand Birds Online was of a cute fluffy baby goose, taken in Hungary. Bird expert Colin Miskelly explains how this image ended up on a New Zealand website.Read more
2018-02-15
Wildlife highlights of Disappointment Island
Bird expert Colin Miskelly recently joined an albatross research team on the rarely visited Disappointment Island in the subantarctic Auckland Islands. But he was on a separate mission to research the more secretive species on this misnamed gem of an island.Read more
2018-02-09
Seabird discoveries in remote southern Fiordland
Te Papa scientists Alan Tennyson and Colin Miskelly recently joined a Department of Conservation-led survey of seabird colonies in remote Chalky Inlet and Preservation Inlet in southern Fiordland. The team made the most of an extended spell of fine weather to land on an astonishing 77 islands. Colin Miskelly summarises some of their more notable discoveries.Read more
2017-12-05
Martinborough’s cave of bones: How thousands of flightless birds met their end
Fossilised bird grave sites are common in New Zealand, but one particular cave in Martinborough has revealed thousands of bones of flightless birds who plunged to their deaths.Read more
2017-11-03
Another extinct bird: Northland’s unique shag
Curator of vertebrates Alan Tennyson discusses another previously unknown New Zealand bird extinction, published in a new article today. Read more
2017-08-14
In photos: Giant eggs, tiny eggs, and the eggceptionally rare
Bird expert Colin Miskelly highlights some of the treasures in our egg collection, including those thought to be held only by Te Papa – as well as giant moa eggs, tiny rifleman eggs, and eggs that were acquired during dramatic events in New Zealand’s conservation history.Read more
2017-08-08
Another extinct bird: New Zealand’s prehistoric swan
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
2017-07-26
A new bird for New Zealand – Cox’s sandpiper
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
2017-05-08
Cuckoos and their toxic prey – ‘urticated’ inside and out
Cuckoos can stomach toxic caterpillars, but it appears they are also impervious to being stung externally, as bird expert Colin Miskelly discovers.Read more
2017-03-27
The global hunt for the original wandering albatross
Vertebrate Curator Alan Tennyson explores the history of the name of the wandering albatross and the hunt for the original specimens.Read more
2017-03-10