Birds

The Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week. Audio

Having kākāpō in the North Island wilderness again is an historic win for our native manu, but conservationists say other species are at risk of falling through the cracks. Audio

Every year, tens to hundreds of seabirds fall out of the sky across Auckland city. Disoriented by the bright lights, Cook's petrels crash-land and collide with buildings – but a dedicated group of… Video, Audio

Science writer Jennifer Ackerman's essays specialising on creatures in the avian world have appeared in a range of publications including : The New York Times, Scientific American, and National… Audio

Rats giggle. Dogs wag their tail. How do other animals express joy? You can't ask them, so researchers have to find other sneaky ways of figuring out animal emotions. Professor Ximena Nelson is… Audio

Kea are renowned for their intelligence and playfulness – but how do they express joy? Studying animal emotions can be tricky – you can't just ask them how they're feeling – but Professor Ximena… Audio

Local bird enthusiasts in Taranaki are getting in bird watching practice ahead of a big conference next week. Around 160 scientists and dedicated birders will gather to learn to learn a variety of… Audio

The Detail podcast brings you the issues behind the news every weekday. Here's what we covered this week. Audio

The birds are back. After a long absence, 11 kiwi have returned to the outskirts of Wellington with a little help from some human friends. Veronika Meduna heads into the field to see how the work of… Audio

Kiwi have returned to the wild in Wellington after a long absense. Veronika Meduna heads out into the field to see how Capital Kiwi Project's mahi is paying off. Audio

The Rotopiko peat wetlands are a haven for rare and threatened wildlife. But when a flock of introduced birds numbering in the hundreds of thousands moves in – threatening the very nature of this… Audio

Hundreds of thousands of sparrows and swallows have set up roosts in the Rotopiko wetlands, and their poo is threatening to destroy this unique ecosystem. Claire Concannon investigates. Audio

Science commentator Dr Allan Blackman joins Kathryn to talk about a breakthrough in our understanding of olfaction, how stressed plants "cry" and the discovery of birds with neurotoxin-laden feathers… Audio

Claire Concannon joins a research team on the Noises Islands in the Hauraki Gulf to check up on its bird residents. How are the birds faring on these predator-free havens? Audio

We're in the car with Herb Christophers who has just retired from the Department of Conservation after a 30-year career. Herb is a walking encyclopaedia on everything you need to know about our native… Audio

Around half of New Zealand households feed birds in their backyard. But mostly with bread and seeds, which won't attract our native manu. Dr Margaret Stanley shares tips for safely feeding… Audio

There's  positive news from the Pureora Forest Park in the Waikato about it's kāka population. Terry Greene's research has just been published. He talks to Jesse. Audio

Rhapsody for a Rock Wren is a 14-minute film about the endangered bird known in te reo Māori as pīwauwau. It was recorded in Mount Aspiring National Park by University of Otago science student Lauren… Video, Audio, Gallery