The Native ‘K’ birds of New Zealand are pretty amazing. Here are 6 native birds of New Zealand that start with the letter K, including kiwi and kokako.
New Zealand has and had some pretty unique and amazing birds. Since these islands were isolated for millions of years and had no land predators the birds evolved in unique ways. Some of the native birds grew into gigantic forms, like the Moas. Other became flightless, like the Kiwi. New Zealand is home to 171 native species of birds, at least 14 of which start with the letter K.
What’s Special About New Zealand’s Native ‘K’ Birds
The islands of New Zealand are home to some truly special birds. There are at least 14 species of native birds that start with the letter K. Here are 6 examples of native ‘k’ birds.
I want to list these birds here because they include some of the most well known and iconic birds of these islands. These birds are symbols for the New Zealand people (kiwis) and also represent what people are working to protect from extinction (Kokako and others). Huge efforts are underway across the country to remove introduced predators in order to protect and bring back these bird populations.
New Zealand’s Native ‘K’ Birds
Kaka
These large, native parrots live in forests. Unfortunately, their numbers are low, but predator control efforts are helping to bring them back. They are similar in size to a Kea, but have different coloring and habitats.
Kakapo
This bird is under serious threat of going extinct. Significant time and effort and helped the population of these birds increase from 51 to 200! They used to be widespread in forests, but the introduced mammalian predators decimated them.
Kea
This is the only alpine parrot in the world. It is pretty amazing to come across one of these when you are out on a hike or sitting at a ski field.
Kingfisher
This sleek bird can be found in a wide range of habitats all over the country. It may be seen perched looking for prey near a river, lake, along the coast, or even in forests or farmland.
Kiwi (5 species)
There are 5 species of Kiwi spread across the country. This includes the North Island Brown Kiwi and the tiny Little Spotted Kiwi.
Kokako
This native forest bird is a great example of a bird that is close to extinction, but people are fighting hard to bring back. It lives in native forest, but now only survives in small numbers. There are good populations on some off shore, predator free islands. Kokako are being transplanted back to the mainland from these islands to areas that are being managed to control pests.