Birdlife

Our bird experts have recorded more than 35 different species of birds at one time or other in this area.

CBUS birdwatch volunteers regularly record up to 23 species of birds in Centennial Park. An additional 10 species, such as herons, kaka, shags and paradise shelducks, are occasional visitors.

A small CBUS team has been conducting monthly bird surveys, starting at dawn, since November 2007. We record species data and publish our monthly bird reports online. If you would like to join a walk and find out more about the park’s birdlife, please get in touch.

Centennial Park supports a wide range of native and exotic birds – from flitting fantails, to melodious riroriro, to blackbirds, finches and welcome swallows. Tui are the park’s commonest native bird. They feed on nectar, plus insects when breeding. The park’s wide range of native trees and plants, including kowhai, ti kouka, harakeke (flax), puriri, pohutukawa, rewarewa and karo, provide an abundance of food for tui and other birds. Many iconic native species are missing from Centennial Park: bellbird, hihi, saddleback, rifleman, kokako…to name a few. Introduced pests, free-range domestic pets, housing intensification and the loss of backyard trees make life in this urban park untenable for these species. They now survive in heavily predator-controlled offshore and mainland sanctuaries like Tiritiri Matangi Island, Tawharanui and Ark In The Park.

One of the aims of CBUS is to control the park’s pests to a low level, so the current diverse suite of birds and other wildlife can continue to survive and thrive.

You can download a list of the birds seen in Centennial Park – Birds of Centennial Park PDF 9KB