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Logo for Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Open every day 10am—6pm
(except Christmas Day)

Free entry for everyone
Charges apply to some short-term exhibitions and activities

55 Cable Street, Wellington

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  1. Home
  2. Discover the collections
  3. Read, watch, play
  4. Birds of New Zealand

Birds of New Zealand

  • Quiz: Can you identify the manu | bird from its feathers?
  • North Island brown kiwi
  • Birds collection
  • New Zealand Birds Online
  • Watch: Rediscovering the 'extinct' takahē in 1948
  • Buller’s Birds of New Zealand book
  • Kingdom of the Birds: An Expedition to Solander Island
  • Over-looked for a century: Macquarie Island shag added to the New Zealand list
  • Martinborough’s cave of bones: How thousands of flightless birds met their end
  • Jigsaw: Kākā feathers
  • Jigsaw: North Island Kākā egg
  • Quiz: How well do you know your New Zealand birds? Quiz: How well do you know your New Zealand birds?
  • Jigsaw: Yellowhead
  • Jigsaw: Stewart Island Brown Kiwi
  • In photos: Giant eggs, tiny eggs, and the eggceptionally rare
  • The global hunt for the original wandering albatross
  • Expedition to Snares Island
  • Extinct tiny albatross species discovered in Taranaki
  • Filming the elusive kiwi in the 1940s Filming the elusive kiwi in the 1940s
  • Moa vs Superman: Poignant extinction lessons via a 1970s comic

Watch: Rediscovering the 'extinct' takahē in 1948

We've resurfaced colour footage not seen since the 1940s. One of New Zealand's greatest wildlife stories – the rediscovery of the 'extinct' takahē  in 1948, found alive in Fiordland.

You might also like

  • David Riley in the cold store holding one of the film archives
    Rediscovering Te Papa’s film archives

    Rediscovering Te Papa’s film archives

    David Riley, who works in our Digital Collections and Access team, is digitising 190 film reels – the content of which hasn’t been seen for 70 years. Find out what he’s found so far.

    Arts Te Papa

  • Notornis / Takahe, Dunedin 1895, 1949, by Sir Robert Falla, Augustus Hamilton. Te Papa (LS.003274)
    South Island takahē

    South Island takahē

    Learn about the largest living (flightless) species of rail in the world on New Zealand Birds Online with pictures, facts, and book excerpts.

  • Mobula japanica (Mü ller & Henle, 1841). Spinetailed devil ray
    Natural history books

    Natural history books

    Books about the unique and incredible natural environment and science research of Aotearoa New Zealand.

Open every day 10am–6pm (except Christmas Day)

Free entry for everyone.
Charges apply to some short-term exhibitions and activities.

Museum of New Zealand
Te Papa Tongarewa

55 Cable Street
PO Box 467
Wellington, 6011
New Zealand
Phone: +64 (04) 381 7000

  • Contact us
  • Jobs
  • Media enquiries
  • Media sales and licensing
  • Guided tours
  • Touring exhibitions
  • Te Papa Store
  • Te Papa Press
  • Venues
  • National Services Te Paerangi
  • Corporate partnerships
  • Te reo Māori glossary

Te Papa is proudly supported by:

  • Wellington City Council
  • Ministry for Culture and Heritage
  • GNS Science
  • Earthquake Commission
  • Photography and conduct
  • Copyright and terms of use
  • Privacy
  • Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
  • New Zealand Government