S2E12 - Watching Birds in New Zealand with Brent Stephenson
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Black stilt, a species endemic to New Zealand and classified as Critically Endangered. Photo by Brent Stephenson
New Zealand is famous for its epic landscapes. It’s become a favorite place for filmmakers who want dramatic scenery. But New Zealand is also known for having unique and unusual wildlife. Perhaps the most famous of New Zealand’s native animals are its birds. There are more than 370 species of birds that can be found in New Zealand, about a quarter of which are found nowhere else on Earth.
A Southern brown kiwi, one of New Zealand's most unique and famous birds, feeding . Photo by Brent Stephenson
Brent Stephenson knows New Zealand’s birds better than just about anybody. He’s an ornithologist with a Ph.D. in Zoology from Massey University and has led birding expeditions and other trips in New Zealand and around the world. At one point he held the record for the most birds seen in New Zealand by a person in a single year! He is also a photographer and author of the book, Birds of New Zealand: A Photographic Guide. Brent hosts specialized bird guiding trips to New Zealand through his travel company Wrybill Birding Tours, NZ.
Biologist, photographer, and travel guide Brent Stephenson. Photo courtesy of Brent Stephenson
Image from Amazon.com
New Zealand storm petrel, a species thought to be extinct until Brent Stephenson spotted one in 2002. Subsequent work has shown that this species is breeding on a small island near Auckland. Photo by Brent Stephenson
Kea are extremely intelligent parrots whose curiosity sometimes gets them in trouble. Photo by Brent Stephenson
Yellow-eyed penguin, a species endemic to New Zealand. Photo by Brent Stephenson
An artist's depiction of some of the extinct birds that once lived in New Zealand: Haast's eagle and moa.
Illustration by John Megahan; Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/
Join Wild World host Scott Solomon on a trip to New Zealand with the Rice Alumni Traveling Owls! The Traveling Owls program offers exciting intellectual itineraries to destinations across the globe. You don’t have to be a Rice alum to participate in Traveling Owls programs. Scott will be hosting a Traveling Owls trip to New Zealand in December 2025 on a custom itinerary by International Seminar Design, Inc. Visit https://alumni.rice.edu/travelingowls/new-zealand-wonders for details or call ISDI at 202-244-1448 to sign up!
New Zealand's Southern Alps. Photo by Scott Solomon
This episode of Wild World was produced by 3WireCreative with support from the Rice Alumni Traveling Owls.
Help support this podcast and future episodes by checking out Autio, the perfect travel companion app for more engaging road trips. Autio is a network of stories, told by master storytellers like Kevin Costner, Phil Jackson, and John Lithgow, with the power to bring the landscape, its people, and its history alive as you pass through it.
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