BirdingNZ.net

Hi,
I would appreciate if someone could provide an ID for this bird please,
which was out on the sand at Motueka Spit (January):

Many thanks,
Terry
(a visitor from Oz, so a newbie on NZ birds...)

looks like a skylark.

Yep a Eurasian Skylark. Dumpy bird with a short tail, and stout beak and relatively short tail. Which rules out the pipit which can appear superficially similar. There longer tailed, finer billed and longer legged.

Hi Jan and David,
Thanks for that.
It apparently does occur over here in Oz as well, although not in the area where I live.
All the best,
Terry