Birders’ Totals

This page has been set up as a bit of a fun way of ‘challenging’ each other. Many birders keep a list of species they see, and this page is designed along the lines of the list run by Tony Palliser in Australia and the various listings including the SA 700 Club run by Zest for Birds in South Africa. Anyone can submit a list total by emailing Brent Stephenson. Even if you feel you have a small list, submit it anyway.

The initiation of a 200 Club has occurred, with those birders who have supplied a list of 200 species for New Zealand being included. A list of 200 species in New Zealand is a great target for birders to aim at, and takes a fair bit of time to achieve. With the recent increase in people submitting lists, we now have a staggering total for New Zealand of 300 species, set by Steve Wood. Birders in the ‘200 Club’ are shown in bold in the list below and have an * beside their name.

With the advent of books such as ‘The Big Year’ by Mark Obmascik, year listing has become a more popular birding phenomenon. So we have started a set of ‘Year listing’ tables as well. Hopefully this will gain momentum amongst both NZ and oversea birders, although there seems to be less interest in this.  The long reigning record total of 220 species seen by Brent Stephenson in 2015 stood, until finally challenged in a Battling Big Year, by Harry Boorman and Dave Howes in 2021. With a tumultuous year in New Zealand during 2021 (covid restrictions etc), the race to the end of the year was only just won by Dave Howes, with a new record of 250 species!

Revised list now available as of Dec 2021

As per the rules below we only include New Zealand and species found within its political territories.  NEW in April 2019 was the addition of rules to the top of the list and revision of the diving-petrel found in the NZ subantarctic. The exact taxonomy of this species is not currently resolved, so at this stage Sub-Antarctic (Codfish Is) diving-petrel Pelecanoides exsul? now appears on the list.

Rules

1. The Checklist to be used in this exercise is “The ‘Official’ New Zealand Birders checklist”. The list can be downloaded as a PDF version here.
2. The geographical boundary for the New Zealand Birders’ totals list is defined as mainland New Zealand, offshore islands (all sub-antarctics and Chathams, not including Macquarie Island or Norfolk Island), its territories or anywhere within the 200 NM limit. A separate New Zealand Birders’ ‘Mainland’ totals list has a slightly different geographical boundary, designed for those who have not ventured beyond the main islands.  The geographical boundary is for Mainland New Zealand – North, South and Stewart Islands – and out to 12 nautical miles.  This would include almost all day pelagics from New Zealand ports, unless these are passing out beyond 12 nautical miles (22.2 km), unlikely for most charter boats. For those wanting to view an interactive map of New Zealand with this Maritime Boundary clearly marked, click here.
3. All species counted should be seen alive and in the wild (island populations are countable including all species on Tiritiri Matangi, Kapiti Island, Ulva Island, etc.). However, birds kept in cages in wild locations, or being ‘road-showed’ such as Sirocco the Kakapo, cannot be counted.
4. Rehabilitated birds are countable, during release at or near the site from which they were recovered.
5. Beachcast birds, as long as they are still alive, are countable.
6. Birds must be seen, hearing calls or song of a species does not count.
7. Submissions should be honest, accurate and dated. Any entries for species not currently on the “The ‘Official’ New Zealand Birders checklist” (ie. first records) must be verified by the Rare/Unusual Birds Committee of Birds New Zealand (formerly Ornithological Society of New Zealand). Visit their website and the Rare Bird Sightings webpage.
8. Entries shall not be made without permission from the owner.

The ‘Official’ New Zealand Birders checklist can be downloaded here as a formatted PDF ‘checklist’. This list is bound to stimulate some discussion, so forward your comments and criticisms to us by email.

This checklist is for personal use, please do not use it commercially or post on any other website. If you would like to do so, then please contact us first.

New Zealand Birders’ totals list

Based on NZ’s political boundaries and outlined in “The ‘Official’ New Zealand Birders checklist”

New Zealand Birders’ ‘Mainland’ totals list

Mainland New Zealand only (and ‘close’ offshore islands) to within 12 nautical miles

2022 New Zealand Year Listing

2021 New Zealand Year Listing – *NEW* NEW ZEALAND YEAR LIST RECORD

2020 New Zealand Year Listing

2019 New Zealand Year Listing

2018 New Zealand Year Listing

2017 New Zealand Year Listing

2016 New Zealand Year Listing

2015 New Zealand Year Listing

2014 New Zealand Year Listing – NEW NEW ZEALAND YEAR LIST RECORD

2013 New Zealand Year Listing

2009 New Zealand Year Listing

2008 New Zealand Year Listing

2006 New Zealand Year Listing

2005 New Zealand Year Listing

2004 New Zealand Year Listing

History of “The ‘Official’ New Zealand Birders checklist”

Version 3.6 (current version)

Released on 31/012/21 with the following revisions

• addition of emu (Chatham Islands only at this stage), Northern fulmar and rose-crowned fruit-dove to the checklist

Version 3.5

Released on 12/04/19 with the following revisions

• addition of the listing rules to the top of the checklist
• revision of the diving-petrel found in the NZ subantarctic. The exact taxonomy of this species is not currently resolved, so at this stage Sub-Antarctic (Codfish Is) diving-petrel Pelecanoides exsul? now appears on the list.

Version 3.4

Released on 12/01/19 with addition of Herald petrel.

Version 3.3

Released on 07/04/17 with just a single non-coloured version released

• Removal of feral introductions from the list, including golden pheasant, red-legged and grey partridge, helmeted guineafowl, feral chicken, northern bobwhite, and red-vented bulbul.
• Splitting Stewart Island shag into Otago shag and Foveaux shag based on recent research.

Version 3.2

Released on 07/01/17 with just a single non-coloured version released

• Change of status of Australian wood duck from Vagrant non-breeder to Rare Native following breeding near Nelson in 2015/2016.
• Addition of dusky woodswallow (Sept 2014), red-footed booby (Mar/Apr 2016), and laughing gull (Dec 2016) following first records of these birds in New Zealand.

Future splits to come in next version

• Split of Stewart Island shag into Foveaux shag and Otago shag based on published information

Version 3.1

Released in Aug 2015

• Addition of buff-breasted sandpiper

Version 3.0

Released on 19/03/14 with just a single non-coloured version released

• Major overhaul of taxonomy and species list. Generally follows ‘Birds of New Zealand: A photographic guide’ by Scofield and Stephenson 2013, but with some additional that do not currently appear in that text.

Version 2.1

Released on 20/10/10 – both coloured and non-coloured versions released

• Addition of straw-necked ibis
• For barn owl change of colour to Native (pink) in colour version and change Nb to Na in both versions

Version 2.0

Released on 29/09/10 – non-coloured version also released

• Ringed plover and Brolga removed
• Antipodean and Gibson’s albatross lumped as New Zealand albatross
• Buller’s and Pacific albatross lumped as Buller’s albatross
• New Zealand storm-petrel changed to Pealeornis maoriana
• Spelling of Moseley’s rockhopper penguin corrected
• Spelling of chukar corrected
• Status of barn owl changed to Native
• Split tomtit into North Island and South Island tomtit
• Split robins  into North Island and South Island robin
• Split saddlebacks into North Island and South Island saddleback

Version 1.1

Released on 02/04/05 – non-coloured version also released

• Border around ‘Northern pintail’ removed
• ‘ Status’ colour coding changed
• Extra ‘Status’ column added to include information on whether the species is endemic (En), native (Na), introduced (In), or a non-breeding migrant/straggler/vagrant (Nb)
• Addition of two extinct species – Stead’s bush wren and Iredale’s (Stewart Island) snipe – due to one Lister having seen these species before their extinction
• Mention made in the text at the start of the list that birds must be seen to be included. Birds cannot be included if only heard
• Tentative inclusion of Australian reed warbler on the list pending acceptance by the OSNZ RBC
• Changed Gould’s petrel, P. leucoptera, to New Caledonian petrel, P. caledonica, as records in New Zealand almost certainly represent that species
• Black-fronted tern genus changed from Chlidonias to Sterna
• Red-crowned parakeet changed to endemic following specific separation of New Caledonian and Norfolk Island populations from New Zealand mainland populations
• Addition of Hochstetter’s parakeet, C. hochstetteri, as above
• Split red-billed gull, L. scopulinus, from silver gull, L. novaehollandiae, and therefore relegated to endemic
• Golden pheasant added to the list – feral population breeding on Aroha Island

Version 1.0

Released on 23/02/05