Identifying New Zealand Birds

About Course

“You must have the bird in your heart before you can find it in the bush.”
John Burroughs from Leaf and Tendril (1908)

This Identifying New Zealand Birds training unit is designed not to teach you every species of bird, but instead to teach you how to identify birds.

You will learn how to ID bird sounds by listening to them, determining what pattern each species is using.

You will learn the steps to take to identify birds by sight in the field as well and be encouraged to keep practicing in the field by going out regularly, until you are very comfortable identifying all the birds you see.

You will read up on different species and make note of their behaviours, which will make you better at understanding what each species is doing and what their needs are – especially the ones which are threatened with extinction.

Course Content

Introduction Video

Overview of Identifying New Zealand Birds

Module One: Naming and Taxonomy
What's in a bird's name? When is a bird's name problematic? We find out in this module.

Module Two: Steps to Identifying What You See
There are three main steps to identify birds by sight, and we will go through each one in ths module. 1. Figure out what kind of bird you are looking at. 2. Look at distinguishing features. 3. Use field guides and/or apps to help you.

Module Three: Steps to identifying what you hear

Module Four: What are endangered species?
What's an endangered species? Put simply, endangered species are species which are at risk of extinction. That seems pretty straightforward, but how do you decide which species qualify? Who decides?

Assessment for Identifying New Zealand Birds Unit
This assessment will test your skills to see how you have progressed in your journey towards becoming a skilled bird identifier in New Zealand. Look and listen for field markings for the birds and answer all of the questions to the best of your ability. You have 15 minutes; Good luck!

Add this certificate to your resume to demonstrate your conservation skills & knowledge.

Identifying New Zealand Birds

About Course