Whaka-Ora Bird Monitoring

Here is our guide to sea birds that you might find in Whakaraupō/Lyttelton Harbour!  If you are having trouble identifying a bird, mark it as unknown in the form or write about how it looks or sounds in the "Anything else you would like us to know" section. For more information on each bird, click on their names. Kawau tikitiki/Spotted shag 60-75cm large bird Green-blue facial skin Yellow/orange feet Adult breeding birds have black spots on their back and upper-wings, and two white stripes from each eye down to their necks Young birds are paler and more brown Fly low over water in "V" formation Call is loud grunts in nesting areas, but silent elsewhere Māpunga/Black shag 80-90cm, large bird yellow cheeks breeding adults have red/orange cheeks and small black head crests young birds have black-brown feathers Call: mostly quiet away from nest. At nests, males are loud and females have soft and husky voices. Easily confused with: little black shag. Little black shag is...