Order: Podicipediformes

These are the seabirds (order Procellariiformes) — the albatrosses, petrels and shearwaters. These birds typically spend most of their lives at sea, returning to land only to breed. New Zealand is the seabird capital of the world.

Gannets, boobies, cormorants and shags belong the the order Suliformes (previously included in Pelecaniformes).

The pelicans, herons, bitterns, ibises and spoonbills (order Pelecaniformes) are mostly large birds with long legs and necks adapted for wading in water where they catch prey.

Ducks, geese and swans belong to the Anseriformes order of birds.

The gamebirds belong to the order Galliformes, and include ptarmigan, partridge, pheasant, junglefowl and quail.

The diurnal birds of prey are predatory birds that are now split into two different orders. They include falcons and kestrels (order Falconiformes), and harriers, hawks, eagles and kites (order Accipitriformes).

Order Gruiformes

These birds belong to the order Charadriiformes. They are typically found around coastal areas and inland waterways, although some breed well inland. We have many species of migratory shorebirds that breed in the arctic then fly to New Zealand for our summer.

Order Columbiformes

Order Psittaciformes

Order: Cuculiformes

Order Coraciiformes

Also known as passerines, this group (order Passeriformes) is hugely diverse and includes over half of all known birds.