Black Bird

Scientific Name Turdus merula

Native No

Family True Thrush

Common Weight 90 Grams

Common Height 12 CM

Common Length 20 CM

Identification

The black bird is a medium-sized songbird that is entirely black in adult males with a yellow bill. They are abundantly found on waiheke around household properties and tree branches.

The blackbird was introduced to New Zealand, and is now our most widely distributed bird species. Blackbirds are common in a wide range of habitats including suburban gardens, farmland, woodlands and indigenous forests.

Adult males are entirely black apart from their yellow bill and eye-ring. Females and juveniles are mostly dark brown, slightly mottled on the belly and their bill is light brown.

Their song is given from winter to summer, with the singing male usually perched on a high branch, tree top or power line. They sing most in the early morning and evening. The loud male territorial advertising song is mainly given from July to January. The song is similar to that of the song thrush, but without the repeated phrases that characterize thrush song. Other calls are given throughout the year, including a sharp quickly repeated alarm call made if a predator threatens.

The main negative impact of blackbirds is the damage they may cause to commercial fruit crops. They can also spread the seeds of weedy plants, and are often a nuisance in gardens by scattering mulch and newly planted seed beds and lawns.

The positive side of blackbirds is they eat snails and slugs and other garden and horticultural invertebrate pests.

They are strongly territorial birds, and may chase other species, including tui.

Waiheke Wildlife

Fantail

The Fantail is a well known NZ bird due to its distinctive fanned tail. Locations found on Waiheke are any well-treed parks, bush walks and even properties.

The black bird is a medium-sized songbird that is entirely black in adult males with a yellow bill. Abundantly found on Waiheke around household properties and trees.

Variable Oyster Catcher

The variable oystercatcher is a stocky coastal bird with a long, bright orange bill, it is located on many quiet beaches such as Blackpool, Whakanewha and Anzac bay.

Common Myna

Mynas are stocky brown birds with a shiny black head and shoulders. Commonly found on road sides on Waiheke, usually playing chicken with cars while foraging for food.

Thrush

The thrush is a medium-sized songbird with a speckled brown-on-cream breast, usually heard before it is seen, found in grass reserves, gardens and trees on Waiheke.

Red Billed Gull

The red-billed gull also known as a "Seagull" is common around New Zealand Coasts. Located everywhere on Waiheke beaches where food or bait is readily accessible.

Welcome Swallow

Welcome swallows are small fast-flying birds, they are usually seen around waiheke during breeding season between August and February on powerlines, fences and beaches.

Pied Shag

This large black-and-white shag is often seen individually or in a group, usually spotted in the ocean searching for food or hanging around fisherman by the rocks of Waiheke.

Magpie

The Magpie is a large black-and-white songbird, It was introduced from Australia. It can be found on Waiheke around farmland and large grass reserves.

Tui

The Tui is a iridescent blue-green honeyeater with two curled white feather tufts on the throat. Locations found on Waiheke are around flaxes feeding off nectar.

Kaka

The Kaka is a large, olive-brown parrot with grey-white crown, red-orange underwing and deep crimson belly, located in tree covered areas around Onetangi.

White Faced Heron

The white-faced heron is a tall, elegant, blue-grey bird usually spotted stalking prey. Locations found on Waiheke are Mangroves, Anzac bay and quiet beaches.

Pied Stilt

The pied stilt is a dainty wading bird, It is common at wetlands and coastal areas, found on Waiheke at Putiki Bay, Anzac Bay and Blackpool.

Great black-backed gull

The Black-backed gull is a large black-and-white gull with a white head and underparts, black back, yellow bill with a red spot near the tip. Located on Waiheke beaches.

Grey Warbler

The Grey Warbler is a tiny olive-grey song bird often heard before seen. Locations on Waiheke are dense woody vegetations. The warbler can be difficult to spot.

Pūkeko

The Pukeko is a large relatively compact rail with a deep blue-violet head, breast and throat and a red bill. Found in swamp/Mangrove areas of Waiheke Island.

White Fronted Tern

The white-fronted tern is a medium-sized, long-tailed sea tern commonly around New Zealand coasts. Spotted congregating on Waiheke wharfs such as Matiatia and Orapiu.

Spur-winged Plover

The Spur-winged plover is a large stocky wader with a yellow bill and spurs on each wing, locations found on Waiheke are Blackpool, Maori hill and Whakanewha.

Wood Pigeon

The Wood pigeon is a large distinctively-coloured pigeon, it is easy to find on Waiheke due to its size, they are usually perched on powerlines or trees.

White-Eye

A small songbird, immediately recognisable by its distinctive white eye-ring. This quick little bird can be found feeding off flax and kowhais or fruit trees on Waiheke.

NZ Dotterel

The New Zealand Dotterel is a shorebird which breeds on beaches in NZ's North Island. Locations found on Waiheke are Whakanewha, Anzac Bay and Blackpool.

Spotted Turtle Dove

The spotted dove is a medium-sized, long-tailed dove, with a greyish head and speckled greyish brown upperparts. Found on Waiheke around gardens and the rooster reserve.

Little Shag

The little shag is a small shag, with a short yellow bill, black feet, a relatively long tail, usually spotted in the ocean searching for food or hanging around Waiheke…

Bar-tailed Godwit

The Godwit is a migrant from Alaska, they fly 8-9 days straight to arrive in NZ. They can be found on Waiheke from September - March located at Blackpool.

Sacred Kingfisher

The sacred kingfisher is a distinctive bird with a green-blue back, buff to yellow undersides and a large black bill. they can be found nearby tidal beaches on waiheke.

Australasian Gannet

The gannet is a large slender-bodied seabird with mainly white plumage, buff-yellow head and neck. Occassionally seen around Waiheke searching for food in ocean depths.

Breeding

Blackbirds breed as solitary, monogamous pairs nesting species, nesting between August and February, with a September – November peak in most regions.

Males establish territories from about April-May.

Nests are usually well concealed by foliage in the forks of shrubs or trees 3 to 10 metres above the ground and are a well-constructed woven bowl of grass, small twigs, moss, fragments of plastic bags, dead leaves and may be lightly lined with mud the nest is also built together by both male and female.

Eggs are laid from August to December.

Three or more clutches (typically of 3-4 greenish-blue eggs) may be laid during a season especially if an earlier clutch is lost.

Incubation and feeding the chicks is also shared between by both parents.

The nestlings are blind and naked when hatched. They are well feathered 12-13 days after hatching, and fledge when about 13-15 days old, they are still fed a few weeks after leaving the nest by their parents.

Food

Blackbirds feed mostly on the ground on earthworms, snails, and insects and spiders. They also take berries while perched in foliage such as coprosma, and can eat ripening fruit in orchards. .

They are often seen to ‘listen’ for food, e.g. earthworms, beneath the ground surface.

Waiheke Locations

Household Gardens – I have a few black birds that hang around our property and feed on insects, create nests and bathe in our bird baths.

Black birds are flying birds so they can really be anywhere on Waiheke but not just Waiheke they are all over New Zealand, these are just areas I’ve spotted them and photographed.