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I adore birds. Their intelligence and cleverness, their colours and beauty.
Here, in New Zealand, we have some of the best birds in the world. In fact the birds of New Zealand have evolved into an avifauna that included a large number of endemic species (that is, species found in no other country).
As an island archipelago New Zealand accumulated it's own bird diversity and when Captain James Cook arrived in the 1770s he noted how the bird song was deafening. The mix of birds in New Zealand includes species with unusual biology such as the kakapo, being the world's only flightless, nocturnal, lek breeding parrot ('lek' = Swedish word meaning 'play'), along with many species similar to those in neighbouring land areas (Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fijian Islands, Cook Islands, etc).
A process of colonisation, speciation and extinction has occurred over many millions of years (including recent times).
Some species have arrived within human recorded history, while others had arrived prior to that but are little changed.
(Ref: Wikipedia)
Here, in New Zealand, we have some of the best birds in the world. In fact the birds of New Zealand have evolved into an avifauna that included a large number of endemic species (that is, species found in no other country).
As an island archipelago New Zealand accumulated it's own bird diversity and when Captain James Cook arrived in the 1770s he noted how the bird song was deafening. The mix of birds in New Zealand includes species with unusual biology such as the kakapo, being the world's only flightless, nocturnal, lek breeding parrot ('lek' = Swedish word meaning 'play'), along with many species similar to those in neighbouring land areas (Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fijian Islands, Cook Islands, etc).
A process of colonisation, speciation and extinction has occurred over many millions of years (including recent times).
Some species have arrived within human recorded history, while others had arrived prior to that but are little changed.
(Ref: Wikipedia)
