Birds New Zealand - Autumn 2026 magazine

[Michael Szabo]

The latest Birds New Zealand magazine is now online:
Amazing photos of kōkako, kākāpo, penguins and rifleman
Good news about kākāpo, kōkako and kākāriki breeding
New research on oystercatchers and shearwaters
Tips for identifying egrets
Interview with Oscar Thomas on bird photography
Reports from the 2025 Australasian Ornithological Conference
Bird News about the latest unusual bird sightings

Link to low res PDF: https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/u ... _Web99.pdf

As a registered charity Birds New Zealand relies on membership subscriptions and donations to support its important work:
[https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/membership/join-now/]
[https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/membership/donate/]

Kōkako on Tiritiri Matangi - photo by Oscar Thomas

[Michael Szabo]

The March 2026 edition of Birds New Zealand magazine has been published with a cover photo featuring a Kōkako taken by Oscar Thomas. This autumn’s edition includes details of the 2026 Annual Conference and AGM to be held in Wānaka on King’s Birthday weekend (30 May–1 June) at which Hoani Langsbury and Paul Kavanagh will be the plenary speakers. There are also items introducing President Natalie Forsdick and Otago Regional Representative Dawn Palmer who will attend the conference.

There is news about the 2026 Kākāpo and Tara Iti NZ Fairy Tern breeding seasons, translocations of Kōkako and Kākāriki Karaka Orange-fronted Parakeets, a new paper on the extinct St Bathans Goose, and a new Heritage Expeditions ship, Heritage Discoverer.

There is an illustrated report on the 2025 Australasian Ornithological Conference held in Perth in November by our President Natalie Forsdick along with Student Travel Grant recipient reports by Inka Pleiss and Cara Thompson. There is also an illustrated interview with Oscar Thomas, showcasing his award-winning bird photography.

There are reports on new research tracking the migratory movements of the Koekoeā Long-tailed Cuckoo and a 2024/5 Rako Buller’s Shearwater population survey funded by the Birds New Zealand Research Fund, and on Pukunui Southern NZ Dotterels and Mātātā Fernbirds in Southland, and the habitat use of waders and waterfowl at Sutton Lagoon in Invercargill funded by the Dorothy Alloo bequest and scholarship.

The regular Bird’s Eye View column is about how to identify egrets. There is an obituary for Barry Hartley QSM, an item on the publication of the latest edition of our scientific journal Notornis, and an update on the Moult Scheme.

It also contains the regular quarterly reports from the President and Regional Representatives, the bi-annual illustrated Bird News section, and a Swarovski binoculars review.

The link to the low-resolution PDF of the magazine is here:
https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/wp-content/u ... _Web99.pdf

As a registered charity Birds New Zealand relies on membership subscriptions and donations to support its important work:
[https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/membership/join-now/]
[https://www.birdsnz.org.nz/membership/donate/]