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Wild Birds New Zealand Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles
Wild Birds New Zealand Quizzes, Trivia

Wild Birds New Zealand Trivia

Wild Birds New Zealand Trivia Quizzes

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Fun Trivia
If all the birds in your quiz live in New Zealand, this is where your quiz belongs. All Kiwis are welcome.
6 quizzes and 62 trivia questions.
1.
  Picturing the Birds of New Zealand    
Label Quiz
 12 Qns
These New Zealand birds are presented for you with a description, and their Māori names provided as added clues. Can you figure them all out?
Average, 12 Qns, reedy, Aug 04 25
Average
reedy gold member
Aug 04 25
103 plays
2.
  New Zealand's Birds Quiz for Experts    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
New Zealand, isolated from the world, has some strange and wonderful indigenous birds as well as those who immigrated by various means and now proliferate, all being listed here as, 'New Zealand Birds'. I hope you enjoy my first quiz.
Average, 10 Qns, Waitakere, Jun 01 22
Average
Waitakere
Jun 01 22
403 plays
3.
  New Zealand Birds Past and Present    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
These are New Zealand birds that are worthy of wider recognition, but which I couldn't find mentioned when I played other quizzes in this category.
Average, 10 Qns, patricck, Jun 01 22
Average
patricck gold member
Jun 01 22
195 plays
4.
  New Zealand Birds    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
Have a nudge at my simple yet hopefully informative first quiz on the birds of New Zealand! Bon appetit.
Difficult, 10 Qns, rego55, Jun 01 22
Difficult
rego55
Jun 01 22
746 plays
5.
  Questions on Wild Birds of New Zealand    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
New Zealand is a country with many native bird species. See how many you know.
Average, 10 Qns, youngmade, Jun 01 22
Average
youngmade
Jun 01 22
200 plays
6.
  Birds of New Zealand: 10 Questions    
Multiple Choice
 10 Qns
This identification quiz on New Zealand's unique birdlife. A short description will be given of a bird species and your job is to identify it. Good luck!
Average, 10 Qns, LeCapitaine, Jun 01 22
Average
LeCapitaine
Jun 01 22
449 plays

Wild Birds New Zealand Trivia Questions
1. Which bird thought to be extinct was later found in a remote mountain range?

From Quiz Wild Birds of New Zealand

Answer: Takahe

The takahe, or notornis as it is also known, was believed to have died off completely until a small group were found living in the Murchison Mountains on the west of Lake Te Anau. There are several of these large birds in sanctuaries around New Zealand. The kahikatea is a kind of tree, and the moa and laughing owl are also extinct.

2. New Zealand's smallest bird is sometimes called the New Zealand wren. The name might lead you to think you are in danger, but don't worry. You are perfectly safe. What is this bird that the Maori call tītipounamu?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

3. They called her 'Old Blue' and when the Wildlife Service found her in 1980, she was the only bird of her species left who could lay eggs. Now there are 200 birds, all descended from Old Blue. What type of bird was she?

From Quiz New Zealand's Birds

Answer: Black robin

Don Merton, who died in 2011, led a team of conservationists which saved the black robin from certain extinction. His determination that Old Blue would live and breed, resulted in pioneering work, since been copied around the world with other endangered birds. He was granted many prestigious awards, including the Queen's Service Medal and listed as one of the "100 Great New Zealanders of the 20th Century".

4. The purple swamp hen, a bird often seen around much of New Zealand, is known by what Maori name?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Pukeko.

The pukeko looks very similar to the takahe. It is found in abundance and is often thought of as a bit of a pest rather than one of New Zealand's more head-turning individuals.

5. New Zealand was home to the largest eagle the world has ever seen. It became extinct about 500 years ago. Both it and one of the passes through the Southern Alps are named after a German geologist and explorer. What is this bird called?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

6. The bills of the different sexes of this particular bird are so strikingly different that early naturalists thought them to be different species. What is it?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Huia.

The female of this extinct bird had a very long curved beak to obtain nectar from flowers whereas the male's was short like a sparrow's. Their white-tipped tail feathers were highly prized by Maori, and they were already in trouble before the Europeans arrived and finished the job.

7. On the Otago Peninsula in New Zealand you can find the world's only mainland breeding colony of what obviously regal seabird?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

8. There are approximately 129 of me left. I am one of New Zealand's endemic parrots and I have green and yellow plumage. I have a strong smell (that has been compared to passionfruit) and the male of my species makes a loud booming call for mating.

From Quiz Birds of New Zealand

Answer: Strigops habroptilus- the kakapo

The kakapo is currently undergoing a breeding programme to increase its numbers in the wild. At the moment, kakapo are only able to inhabit offshore islands which have had predators eradicated. Kakapo are quite tame and will tolerate petting and handling for a short amount of time. The pied shag is a shorebird.

9. When taking a walk through the bush in New Zealand you may often notice a little bird cheeping brightly and following you through the trees. This is the fantail. Why is it following you?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: It is looking for insects stirred up when people walk through the bush.

The common fantail is known as piwakawaka in Maori. It really does follow you looking for insects and is very cute.

10. Which bird was hunted into extinction for its prized tail feathers?

From Quiz Wild Birds of New Zealand

Answer: Huia

The huia is believed to have been hunted to extinction for its prized tail feathers used in the making of Maori cloaks. There have been reported sightings of the huia but they have never been substantiated so it has been declared extinct.

11. What is the small New Zealand bird whose plumage allows it to be easily recognized by the coloring of the chestnut saddle?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

12. A nocturnal bird, its Maori name is Ruru and regarded by many as of great spiritual significance. Its name comes from the words it appears to call. What is it?

From Quiz New Zealand's Birds

Answer: Morepork

Since the laughing owl was declared extinct in the early 20th century, the morepork is now the only native owl in New Zealand. Ninox novaeseelandiae is 29cm tall and with brown and gold feathers. It has the distinctive 'morepork' cry and a screech of warning or threat. In Maori mythology it is regarded as both a guardian or a warning of bad news. It eats moths and beetles caught on the wing, will tackle smaller animals such as mice and birds smaller than itself. Its name comes from the very distinctive territorial call.

13. Dr. G.B.Orbell rediscovered this thought to be extinct bird in a glacial valley in the South Island in the 1940s. What was it?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Takahe

Thought to be extinct around 1930, the takahe was living secretly in the Murchison Ranges. Dr. George Orbell refused to believe it was extinct and his continual search resulted in the finding of a large population in 1948.

14. This seemingly friendly little bird will dart about and follow you as you stroll through the bush but it is only waiting for your feet to disturb insects. What is it?

From Quiz New Zealand's Birds

Answer: Fantail

The fantail is beloved of children because, especially in country areas, it often follows them to school and back. Its song is also like a kissing sound and it gives the appearance of being very happy and carefree as it jumps about, its tail outspread. Maori have many names for it, Piwakawaka and Tiwaiwaka being two; its Latin name is Rhipidura fuliginosa. It has a dark brown body with a cream underbelly and its characteristic black and white tail is 8-centimetre long. However, there are large colonies in the South Island which are completely black. It was voted Forest & Bird's, Bird of the Year in 2006.

15. The Chatham Island black robin was close to extinction in 1980 though it survived thanks to one breeding pair. One of the names of the robins in this breeding pair was 'Old Blue'. What was the other called?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Old Yellow.

There were only five black robins in 1980 with only one breeding pair. Thanks to that breeding pair and the work of the New Zealand Department of Conservation, today they number around 250. They can only be found on the Chatam Islands.

16. Which small New Zealand avian was brought back from the very brink of extinction?

From Quiz Wild Birds of New Zealand

Answer: Black robin

The black robin was found in the Chatham Islands group off the east coast of New Zealand. The birds on the main island were extinct due to predation leaving only small number on a smaller island. The population declined until only five were left and only one female known as Old Blue. Luckily Old Blue mated and had females in her brood. The Department of Conservation has taken steps to save the black robin and its population, still critically endangered, is approximately 200.

17. The largest colony of this seabird may be on a rock off the coast of Scotland, but it is well established in the Southern hemisphere as well. The largest mainland colony of what seabird can be found at Cape Kidnappers in New Zealand?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

18. The tui is known as what in English, owing to the white tuft of feathers on its throat?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Parson's bird

The tui is a mockingbird meaning it can imitate the call of other birds. Their call is extremely beautiful and it's a real pleasure to listen to their squeaks, caws, chortles and whistles if you get the chance.

19. Which bird is New Zealand's national bird?

From Quiz Wild Birds of New Zealand

Answer: Kiwi

The kiwi is often seen as New Zealand's symbol. It is the colloquial name for New Zealander and even the name of a fuzzy brown fruit. There are several kinds of kiwi and very few New Zealanders have seen one in the wild. Like many New Zealand birds they are flightless and have become endangered due to predation and habitat destruction. They are unique having their nostrils at the tip of their long bill so they can smell grub's and worm's in the soil. The kiwi also has the largest eggs of any bird in relation to its size.

20. This now extinct bird lived in New Zealand until about 500 years ago. It had at least nine subspecies that ranged in size from a bird no bigger than a turkey to a giant which stood up to 7 feet tall. What was the name of this bird?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

21. At night in the New Zealand bush you can hear the haunting call 'morepork, morepork' of the, ah-hem, morepork. What's it called in Maori?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Ruru

The piwakawaka is the fantail. The other two don't exist.

22. The whio is a New Zealand duck which is one of only three water birds in the world that needs to live beside fast flowing water. What is the other name given to this duck might have been a favorite of Picasso during one of his later periods?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

23. According to naturalist Stephen Jay Gould, this burrower should be labelled an unofficial mammal.

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Kiwi

Mr Gould was so taken aback by the strange burrowing nature and fur-like feathers of the kiwi that he declared it an unofficial mammal!

24. Which breed of bird was hunted into extinction by a single animal?

From Quiz Wild Birds of New Zealand

Answer: Stephen's Island wren

The Stephen's Island wren was a small flightless bird which was killed off entirely by one animal, a lighthouse keeper's cat. There are wrens very similar on the main islands of New Zealand, but the Stephen's Island ones are all gone.

25. What is the name of New Zealand's extinct owl that may lead you to mistakenly believe that it is related to the kookaburra?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

26. This magnificent bird's last breeding grounds were discovered at Okarito in Westland in 1865, where it clung on for dear life for a time before making something of a comeback.

From Quiz New Zealand Birds

Answer: Kotuku

The Kotuku is the New Zealand white heron. You can canoe around Okarito lagoon to see them for just a few dollars. He Kotuku rerenga tahi. A Kotuku's flight is seen but once.

27. A rainforest penguin might sound like a made up bird, but that is exactly how the Tawaki is sometimes described. What is the common name for this New Zealand bird?

From Quiz New Zealand Birds Past and Present

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.

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Last Updated Oct 25 2025 5:54 AM
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