The Grey Warbler is native to New Zealand and is one of our smallest birds. A shy little creature with its bright red eyes and small pointed beak. It may not be the most striking of New Zealand’s birds but its song is loud and clear and very beautiful. Once it's chosen its home it stays within its territory for life, which can be up to 10 years.

The Grey Warbler works hard to build its hanging nest for its young, but unfortunately, the Shining Cuckoo has other ideas. If the nest isn’t well hidden they could fall foul of having one of their eggs pushed out and replaced with a Cuckoo egg. And if that isn’t bad enough when the Cuckoo chick hatches it pushes the other chicks to their death leaving the Grey Warbler to rear someone else's demanding and hungry youngster.

What do Grey Warbler eat?

Grey Warblers feed on live insects, spiders, moths and caterpillars so the best way to support the Grey Warbler is to support your local biodiversity and help insects thrive. Planting insect-friendly flowers and leaving leaf litter in the garden are two great ways to help your local insect population.