Waikawa News - Who are all those birds in the Estuary?

Juvenile Black-fronted Tern on the beach. — This Tarapirohe | Black-fronted Tern resting at Waikawa Beach is a Nationally Endangered bird.

This summer the estuary from shore to sea has been abundant with hundreds of birds feeding and resting — more than 20 species, not counting common birds like magpies or pigeons, or Shovelers, Paradise Shelducks and other ducks.

We’ve seen flocks of Dotterels, Oystercatchers, Terns, and Godwits.

It’s not too surprising we see all these birds: Waikawa Estuary is roughly 25 Km from Foxton Estuary and 20 Km from Waikanae Estuary, as the bird flies. That makes Waikawa a good stopping point if they’re travelling between the two, though many of these birds reside here and some raise their chicks here too.

Bird	Length cm	Weight grams	NZ status	Conservation status
Tarapirohe \| Black-fronted Tern	28	95	endemic	nationally endangered
Taranui \| Caspian Tern	50	700	native	nationally vulnerable
Ngutuparore \| Wrybill	20	55	endemic	nationally vulnerable
Pohowera \| Banded Dotterel	20	60	endemic	declining
Kuaka \| Bar-tailed Godwit	39-41	275-600	native	declining
Tarāpunga \| Red-billed Gull	37	240-320	native	declining
Tara \| White-fronted Tern	42	160	native	declining
Tarāpuka \| Black-billed gull	35-38	230	endemic	declining
Tōrea \| South Island Pied Oystercatcher	46	550	endemic	declining
Tūturiwhatu \| NZ Dotterel	25	146-160	endemic	recovering
Kawau \| Pied Shag	65-85	1300-2100	native	recovering
Tōrea Pango \| Variable Oystercatcher	48	720	endemic	recovering
Black-fronted Dotterel	16-18	30-35	native	naturally uncommon
Kawau Tūī \| Little Black Shag	61	800	native	naturally uncommon
Kōtuku Ngutupapa \| Royal Spoonbill	74-81	1400-2000	native	naturally uncommon
Kororo \| Black-backed Gull	60	1000	native	not threatened
Poaka \| Pied Stilt	35	190	native	not threatened
Spur-winged Plover	38	350-370	native	not threatened
Matuku moana \| White-faced Heron	67	550	native	not threatened
Kaireka \| Skylark	18	38	introduced	naturalised

What do they look like?

These photos have mostly been published on Waikawa News before.

Pohowera | Banded dotterel on driftwood.

Tiny bird with white chest, black stripes, orange bill with a black tip. — Black-fronted Dotterel.

Ngutuparore | Wrybill with beak curved to the right.

One long-beaked wading bird in the beach shallows. — Kuaka | Godwit

Juvenile and adult, large birds on the beach. — Juvenile and adult Kororo | Black-backed Gull

White and grey bird with red bill. — Tarāpunga | Red-Billed Gull

Gull in the estuary with beak wide open. — Tarāpuka | Black-billed gull

Part of the flock of terns, with sea as backdrop. — Part of a flock of Tara | White-fronted Terns.

Two Caspian terns on the beach with sea behind. — Taranui | Caspian Tern.

Two Oystercatcher chicks near an adult amongst driftwood, sand and young grasses. — Two Tōrea pango | Variable Oystercatcher chicks near an adult.

Two South island pied oystercatchers on damp sand at the edge of the sea. — Tōrea | South Island Pied Oystercatcher

Poaka | Pied Stilt stands guard on 3 juveniles.

Large black and white shag with wings stretched, on wet sand. — Kawau | Pied Shag

Two black shags by the river. — Two Kawau Tūī | Little Black Shags. Photo by Marion Cherry. Used with permission.

Large white birds behind or beside a large piece of driftwood. — Kōtuku Ngutupapa | Royal Spoonbills.

Medium sized bird with dark head and back, white underparts, amongst driftwood on sand near spinifex beach grasses. — Spur-winged Plover

Small to medium bird high in the sky with outspread wings. — Kaireka | Skylark

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