What does endemic, native and introduced mean for NZ birds?

Endemic, native or introduced - what do these terms mean in relation to NZ birds. Find out in our quick and easy guide…

New Zealand gets called 'land of the birds', and it's not surprising with over 200 species of birdlife calling NZ home. Many of these species are unique to New Zealand and aren’t found anywhere else in the world.

Here at Kohab, we get asked lots of questions about NZ birds, especially the ones most likely to be found in urban gardens. Some of our most common questions are about the birds’ New Zealand status, and what the terms endemic, native and introduced mean. So here goes…

What is an endemic bird?

Endemic means the bird is unique to its country. A Tui is unique to New Zealand as it is only naturally found here in NZ (lives and breeds) and not in any other country in the world. 

There are several endemic birds that you may be kohabiting with in your NZ garden:

5 endemic NZ birds you may find in your garden.

• Tui

• Bellbird

• Grey Warbler

• Morepork

• New Zealand Wood Pigeon
  

What is a native bird?

A native bird is not unique to one country. A Native bird in New Zealand is a bird that has found its way to our shores and formed a self-sustaining population. The Silvereye is a great example of an NZ native bird. It naturally came to NZ from Australia without human help (most likely blown along by the wind), started breeding here and now has a stable population.

Being in a land that is so far away from our neighbours it’s not that surprising that we don’t have a huge list of native birds in our gardens. But there are native birds that you may be kohabiting with:

4 Native NZ birds you may find in your garden:

• Silvereye

• Fantail

• Welcome Swallow

• Sacred Kingfisher

What is an introduced bird?

An introduced bird has been deliberately brought into a country, and then it has formed a self-sustaining population. There are lots of introduced birds here in NZ, 39 in fact, 17 are common in urban gardens. Some were introduced for sentimental reasons, such as to remind settlers of home, these would include Blackbirds and Song Thrush. Some for sport, such as Quail, Pheasants and Canada Geese. Or some for insect control such as Magpies and Mynas. 

17 Introduced NZ Birds you may find in your garden:

• House Sparrow

• Dunnock/Hedge Sparrow

• Greenfinch

• Goldfinch

• Chaffinch

• Yellowhammer

• Redpoll

• Blackbird

• Song Thrush

• Starling

• Eastern Rosella

• Myna

• Little Owl

• Rock Pigeon

• Barbary Dove

• Spotted Dove

• Australian Magpie

If you’d like to find out more about the birds you may find in your New Zealand garden then why not take a look at our Kohab NZ Bird Guide. There is lots of info on each garden bird found in urban NZ and how you can support them.

Kohab also offers a range of supplementary Bird Foods, Feeders and Birdhouses designed specifically for your garden birds, just take a look at our shop now.

Please let us know if you have any other questions about your garden birds as we love to hear from you.  

Happy Kohabitating!