Inspiration

Collections Online 

There are thousands of images of birds on Collections Online. Most you can download in high-resolution! Search your favourite bird and see what you can discover.

Caption North Island Kaka, Nestor meridionalis septentrionalis, collected 1 September 1995, Te Puna, near Wairoa, New Zealand. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (OR.025021)	Caption Chatham Island Rail, Cabalus modestus (Hutton, 1872), collected January 1872, Mangere Island (Pitt Island), New Zealand. Purchased 1923. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (OR.001371)
Caption Kākāpō, Strigops habroptilus, collected June 1992, Codfish Island, Foveaux Strait, New Zealand. Gift of the Department of Conservation, 1987. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (OR.025736)	Caption Fiordland Crested Penguin, Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, collected 24 September 1939, Otaki Beach, Horowhenua, New Zealand. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (OR.014086)

See how artists have portrayed birds in the art collection

For more artworks, search ‘bird’ and then filter by ‘art’ and ‘with images’ on Collections Online.

Caption Two birds and the Moon, 1799–1823, Tokyo, by Shinsai Ryuryukyo. Purchased 2016. Te Papa (2016-0008-44)	Caption Fantailed flycatcher. Plate XLIX. From A General Synopsis of Birds, 1783, England, by John Latham. Purchased 2004. Te Papa (2004-0025-2)
Caption North Island Giant Moa. Dinornis novaezealandiae. From the series: Extinct Birds of New Zealand, 2005, by Paul Martinson. CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Te Papa (2006-0010-1/17)	Caption Lois White, Song birds, 1979, drawing on paper. Te Papa (CA000497/003/0001)

Birds Online

Birds Online is an amazing resource which has all of the birds both living and extinct found in New Zealand. You can look through thousands of photos, see where the birds live/lived, and even hear what they sound like!

Watch videos about manu

Why do we keep specimens?: Scientist, Andrew Stewart explains why museums keep specimens.

Making life-size moa skeletons: Moa are the tallest birds ever known, and were completely unique to Aotearoa New Zealand. See how the Te Papa team overcame the challenges of putting male and female moa skeletons on display.

See how an albatross is taxidermied: See how taxidermist Peter Wells worked on two albatross, mounted in their mating ritual display.

Filming the elusive kiwi in the 1940s: Bird expert, Colin Miskelly, comments on recently rediscovered 1940s footage of a kiwi, and explains how far wildlife documentaries have come in the last 70 years.

See how others took on the challenge!