Name that Bird

Exploring more of Auckland has opened our eyes just a little along the way. One of the things we now notice a lot more are the native birds that we share our environment with. But the thing that confuses is our common names for them. Some have always retained their Maori name, so Tui have always been Tui, so have Pukeko, Kea and Takahe. Others however have been popularised by their European given names, birds such as Fantail, Saddleback and NZ Dotterel.

During the development of our book and continuation into the website we determined to use the Maori name in the first instance for the birds we introduce and in doing so we have come to enjoy both knowing the Maori names and learning more about their habitats. So for us the New Zealand Woodpigeon will always be Kereru, the kingfisher will be Kotare and the NZ Dotterel will be Tuturiwhatu pukunui (a bit of a mouthful but for us a better name). We hope you agree that these names are better suited to our heritage.

As for our Fantail? Piwakawaka. The Saddleback? Tieke. And our favourite the Bellbird is Korimako.