The origin of New Zealand birds is a story whose continuing evolution in the last 30 years especially has upset many apple carts – from the idea that the moa has evolved from a small South American bird which flew to ancient New Zealand, to the seeming preposterous suggestion that the kiwi is more closely related to the Madagascan elephant bird than the moa. What, then, of the kakapo, kea, tui, rifleman, stitchbird and the rest of New Zealand's iconic birds? Garry Sheeran has dug up what professionals are re-discovering about the origin of New Zealand birds with the help of modern scientific tools. A particular theme is the influence of Australian avifauna on New Zealand's bird life. In Part 1 he tells of his layman's latter-day interest in birds with enthusiasm, originality and charm. He also traces how the origin stories of birds are closely connected to the origins of the islands and continents on which they are found. Part 2 contains specific origin stories of more than 80 land and shore birds, and traces their possible connection to Australian birds.
Birds of the West Wind is aimed as much at readers with little knowledge of New Zealand's bird life as it is at enthusiastic and knowledgeable birders.
Preface 8
PART 1: THE STORY
- Hot pools & plovers 12
- Into enemy territory 21
- Rocks of ages 26
- Days of our lives 32
- Vicars & vagrants 39
- From fracture to flood 49
- From flood to freeze 58
- Between the ice sheets 68
- 3 Modern times 75
- Waifs, strays & misfits 86
- Migrants & freeloaders 93
- Eureka! 101
Eight pages of colour photos
PART 2: STORIES
- Moas 108
- Kiwis 112
- Penguins & albatrosses 115
- Song birds 119
- Parrots 135
- Ducks & geese 140
- Dotterels, gulls & terns 152
- Herons, egrets & bitterns 171
- Rails, swamphens & coots 179
- Pigeons & doves 185
- Game birds 188
- Grebes 191
- Falcons, harriers & eagles 194
- Shags, gannets & pelicans 198
- Cuckoos 207
- Owls & kingfishers 211
PART 3: APPENDICES
- When birds arrived in NZ 218
- Where NZ birds came from 224
Source reading 226
Notes 228
Index 232
When Garry Sheeran stepped back from regular full-time work seven years ago, writing a book was not on his agenda. And that despite the fact he had spent 45 years as a metropolitan newspaper journalist, both in New Zealand and overseas. His specialist field was business and finance. What he did do, however, was immerse himself in what had been the off-duty delight of his life – involvement in the outdoors and natural world. And it was his work over four years as a Department of Conservation volunteer on the scientific wildlife reserve of Tiritiri Matangi Island in Auckland's Hauraki Gulf took him back to his other love – writing. The result is this book.