New Zealand Birds Past and Present Quiz

Answer: Rifleman

Riflemen are usually found flying or hopping up and down tree trunks looking for insects. The name comes from colonial troops in the 19th century. The bird's plumage is very similar to the uniform worn by a rifleman.

Answer: Haast's eagle

Although the bald eagle is not the biggest eagle alive today it is the one that most people are familiar with so it will give a good idea of the size of Haast's eagle. A male bald eagle weighs about 4.1 kilograms and a female about 5.6 kilograms. Haast's eagle is estimated to have weighed about 12-13 kilograms.

Answer: Royal albatross

There are also breeding colonies on the more remote Chatham Islands which are also part of New Zealand. Royal albatrosses mate for life and usually come together every two years to raise just one chick. It takes nearly three months to hatch and another eight months for its wings to become strong enough to fly.

Answer: Saddleback

The saddleback's bill is used to chip away or tear bark off trees or rotten logs in the search for insects. It actively hoops around the forest floor in the search for food and although it can fly it is not a strong flyer. That has made it vulnerable to rats which arrived with the Europeans and has seen the saddleback become endangered.

The population is now restricted almost entirely to several rodent-free offshore islands.

Answer: Muttonbird

There are Muttonbird Islands in both New Zealand and Australia. It is a native dish that has not been tried by many Europeans. The traditional New Zealand recipe calls for an accompaniment of watercress and kumara and it is suggested to leave a window open while cooking because of the strong smell. The Maori name for this bird is titi.

Answer: Gannet

Gannets catch fish by diving from heights up to 30 meters. The speed when they hit the water can be over 60 miles per hour. If the initial strike is not successful the gannet can briefly swim underwater in order to capture its prey.

Answer: Moa

Moas were not well adapted for the arrival of Polynesians to New Zealand. Maori found their flesh was good for eating and their skin and feathers made fine clothing. Even their bones were used as fish hooks and pendants.

Answer: Blue duck

Whio are featured on the New Zealand $10 note which is also blue. They are believed to have appeared at an early stage of duck evolutionary history and their isolation in New Zealand has meant they have a number of unique anatomical features that allow them to feed in fast moving water.

Answer: Laughing owl

The Maori name is whekau and it is also known as the white-faced owl. It was a common sight when European settlers arrived in New Zealand around 1840, but it is believed to have become extinct less than 75 years later. New Zealand's only surviving native owl is also named after the sound it makes. It is called the morepork.

Answer: Fiordland crested penguin

I hope you did not choose the birds I named after Australian states. The North of New Zealand is too warm to see anything except the occasional lost penguin. Tawaki live on Stewart Island and the coasts of Fiordland and South Westland. It is a remote area, but the Department of Conservation has trails that lead to beaches where tawaki can be seen crossing the sand as they make their way between the Tasman Sea and their rainforest nests.