News just in: H5N1 avian influenza (bird flu) has arrived in NZ. www.beehive.govt.nz/release/h5-b... We encourage you to look out for groups of sick/dead birds and report these to the MPI hotline ☎️ 0800 80 99 66. To keep safe and support detection: www.mpi.govt.nz/biosecurity-...

Heading outdoors? Here's the latest on protecting wildlife if avian influenza #H5N1 arrives in #NZ. ↔️ Keep your distance – stay away from sick or dead wildlife. 🥾 Clean it - clean your gear between wildlife spots. ☎️ Report it - if you see >3 sick/dead birds, call 0800-809966. mpi.govt.nz/bird-flu

Today is World Albatross Day and to mark the day here's a poster documenting the lifecycle of the Northern Royal Albatross. Scan the QR code to take you to a half hour documentary about the Northern Royal and their lifecycle. @birdsnewzealand.bsky.social

The 50th issue of our magazine is now online! Check it out for: 🦜 Kākāpo, kororā & tara iti breeding success ✈️ Godwit AJD’s 18th migration from Whanganui to Alaska 🌳 10 places to see forest birds in AoNZ 🌊 Tips for ‘seawatching’ #ornithology #birds www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/u...

The annual NZ Garden Bird Survey is fast approaching! Are you ready to identify and count the birds in your local patch? All you need is 1 hr between 27 June - 5 July. Check out the resources at gardenbirdsurvey.nz to brush up on your bird ID skills! #NZGBS #ornithology 🪶

Home | New Zealand Garden Bird Survey

Get out into your garden, count the birds, and build a build a picture of the state of our environment by taking part in the NZ Garden Bird Survey.

gardenbirdsurvey.nz

Being a bird nerd is now cool. Well, it always was cool, but the rest of the world is finally cottoning on. Nice write-up in the Sunday Star Times and The Post with quotes from me accessiblenews.xyz/article/www.... @birdsnewzealand.bsky.social

Why Gen Z - and me - have gone to the birds

ESSAY: Once a pastime associated with tweed jackets and thermoses, birdwatching is now soaring in popularity among young people.

accessiblenews.xyz

It’s the last day to submit your #avian abstracts for the Australasian Ornithological Conference #AOC2027! Submit and register at www.aoc.org.au

Home - Australasian Ornithological Conference 2027

BirdLife Australia, in conjunction with Birds New Zealand, are pleased to announce that the 13th Australasian Ornithological Conference.

aoc.org.au

Want to make a difference for our birds? Join community pest trapping and restoration efforts, become a member of Birds NZ and help with national monitoring projects, or make a donation at www.birdsnz.org.nz/membership/d.... All funds raised go towards bird research.

Hear a recap from my chat with Susana Lei’ataua on RNZ about @birdsnewzealand.bsky.social’s annual ornithological conference: www.rnz.co.nz/national/pro...

Bird lovers converge on Wanaka for annual conference

Around 200 ornithologists and bird enthusiasts are gathered in Wanaka this Kings Birthday Weekend. The 2026 NZ Bird Conference and Birds New Zealand AGM is being held at the Lake Wanaka Centre - and i...

rnz.co.nz

ICYMI: Catch up on summaries of the latest bird research from our national #ornithology conference in Wānaka - our posts are tagged #BirdsNZ2026. With more than 50 presentations, there’s something for everyone! 🪶

A huge thank you to Dawn Palmer and all the Otago organising committee for a fantastic conference weekend! We also thank our sponsors including Real NZ, Hawkshead Wines, Faunatech, Southern Lakes Sanctuary, Global Messenger, Natural Solutions for Nature, E3 Scientific for their support.

With a background as a documentary writer, director and producer, Quinn Berentson shares learnings for telling compelling science stories. Effective stories tap into emotions, making us feel, and influence our behaviour. #BirdsNZ2026

Alan Tennyson looks at the fossil relatives of emperor penguins found in southern Taranaki. What was an Aptenodytes giant penguin doing in the warm Taranaki region 3 mya? #BirdsNZ2026

Nic Rawlence myth-busts plans for Moa de-extinction, with a crash-course in cloning and genetic engineering. The ghosts of inbreeding past may come back to haunt us (among many other concerns), but are there current conservation applications for these tools? #BirdsNZ2026

Cilla Wehi emphasises the importance of museum collections for current conservation. Kea have seen a drastic change in abundance since human arrival. Feather isotopes are used to understand kea diet through history. #BirdsNZ2026

Vice-President Ian Armitage describes the history of Notornis, the scientific journal of Birds NZ, in publication since 1952. Digital publication began in 2006, and all articles published since the journal began have DOIs for increased discoverability. www.birdsnz.org.nz/publications/ #BirdsNZ2026

Oscar Thomas tracks nesting pukunui/southern dotterels to understand foraging activity to identify sites for monitoring and predator control. Sexual dimorphism was identified in breeding plumage, supported by genetic testing. #BirdsNZ2026

Otago Regional Representatvie Dawn Palmer describes waterfowl and wader use of the Shotover Wastewater Treatment Centre. When you create a puddly habitat the birds go thank you very much, and then when it’s drained they say see ya later! #BirdsNZ2026

Scott Jarvie discusses the use of the Regional Threat Classification System to assess the conservation status of the birds of Otago. An interactive dashboard was used to collate data and produce reports, and 288 species were assessed. #BirdsNZ2026

Colin Miskelly describes outcomes of rat eradication on Kāpiti Island. 1024 hrs of bird counts over 32 yrs. Strong increases in tīeke, korimako, and recent increases in kōkako, kārearea, while many small forest natives such as miromiro and silvereyes have declined. #BirdsNZ2026

Chris Bycroft describes outcomes of 20 yrs of monthly monitoring of birds on Lake Rotoiti, totalling >250 surveys. Over 82,000 birds encompassing 51 species have been recorded, with pāpango/scaup most abundant. #BirdsNZ2026

Lin Yan shares the latest technological updates from Druid, integrating tagging, monitoring, and citizen science data. New tag designs fit a broader diversity of species, proximity sensing captures individual interactions, and mobile apps support citizen science data logging. #BirdsNZ2026

Simon Lamb shares results of population surveys and survival modelling for king shags in the Marlborough Sounds. Aerial surveys can be completed in 2 hrs, covering 18 roost sites. #BirdsNZ2026

Mike Bell shares the first data on papua/Chatham Island shag foraging ecology. The shags tended to make one foraging trip each day, with fairly distinct foraging patches close to main Chatham. #BirdsNZ2026

Philippa Agnew shares updates from the kororā/little penguin colony in Oamaru. Good ocean productivity in autumn can support penguins in triple clutching, producing up to 6 fledglings in a year. However storm conditions can seriously impact success. #BirdsNZ2026

Anya Kruszewski shares the story of the rediscovery of kiwi pukupuku/little spotted kiwi on mainland Aotearoa NZ in March 2025. #BirdsNZ2026

Graham Parker shares new knowledge on kārearea from a project in the Cardrona Valley. 53 nests have been identified, but there is relatively low nest success. #BirdsNZ2026

Franny Cunninghame describes the importance of nest monitoring for mātātā/South Island fernbird as part of the Tautuku Restoration Project in the Catlins. #BirdsNZ2026

Sarah Forder from Southern Lakes Sanctuary shares outcomes of mahi to support mōhua, where predation and food competition from rats and stoats driving increasing local extinctions. 23 fledglings were produced in the core area this year. #BirdsNZ2026

Paul Kavanagh says that despite NZ’s focus on predator control, this is just one small facet of biodiversity conservation. Translocations of species such as takahē have been huge collaborative efforts. #BirdsNZ2026