Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds



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other things in Nature the Fantails must be seen to be appreciated,

for the written word can never convey to the mind the delicate

charm of many a wonderful tropical flower, fish, or bird.



The New Zealand Harrier (Circus approximans)


This fine hawk is the butt of every so-called “ sportsman


Every man’s hand is against the Harrier, not because of any

depredations it commits in the poultry yard but just because it

is a hawk, and one day, who knows? it might begin to eat the

sheep like the Kea, so say the farmers, and it is always best to

be on the safe side, and it is a hawk anyhow, and should be

killed. But like the English Jay, the relentless persecution has

sharpened its wits and it is holding its own. In fact in the plain

and tussock country in the South Island it is common, and in a

day’s travel one sees a great many birds. They are tame and

confiding if one has no guns and will hardly bother to move off

the roadway when one passes in a car.


This bird feeds mainly, as far as I could see, on carrion,

especially on dead rabbits which had been squashed by motors on

the roads. Sometimes it feeds on dead sheep and lambs but it no

doubt supplements this diet with insects and small weakly birds

and mammals. It lacks the strength and swiftness of the other

New Zealand hawk and would stand very little chance of catching

any swift-winged bird.


The Harrier is doubtless a settler from the shores of Australia

for it is quite unsuited to life in the forests with which New

Zealand was once covered. Now with the destruction of the

forests and the introduction of mammals it is far more at home

and has no doubt greatly increased.


Lacking the swift dashing flight of the Falcon, it flies with

slow and steady wing beats and is not lacking in grace when once

it gets properly on the wing, though the usual “ throw off ” is

very laboured.


These hawks periodically visit the outlying islands of New

Zealand but they do little damage where the islands are covered



