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 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 263 species, set by Brian Bell. Many New Zealand and overseas birders will know of Brian and his impressive lifetimes work with New Zealand birds. He really has set a target for other birders to aim for! 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 'Year listing' table as well. Hopefully this will gain momentum amongst both NZ and oversea birders. In 2004 three birders submitted year lists (and these have also been posted on the SurfBirds website), and hopefully we have a few more for 2005!

 

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 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.
  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.). Beachcast birds, as long as they are still alive, are countable.
  4. Birds must be seen, hearing calls or song of a species does not count.
  5. Submissions should be honest, accurate and dated. Any entries for species not currently on the New Zealand checklist must be verified by the Rare/Unusual Birds Committee of the OSNZ.
  6. 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'. Click on the image below to download the document, then print to be able to 'tick' those boxes. This list is also available in other formats, please email Brent. This list is bound to stimulate some discussion, so forward your comments and criticisims 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.

Colour coded version

Non-colour version

Click the icons above to download. The current version is v.1.1 and is available with each species colour-coded (endemic, native, etc.) or in a non-colour version. A history of changes to the list, and future additions can be seen here.

 

New Zealand Birder's totals list

Based on NZ's political boundaries and outlined in "The 'Official' New Zealand Birders checklist

  Name
Total
Date submitted
       
* Colin Miskelly
264
20 May 2007
* Brian Bell
263
24 February 2005
* Graeme Taylor
247
23 February 2005
* Brent Stephenson
245
23 April 2008
* David Lawrie
241
25 December 2004
* Sav Saville
239
7 May 2007
* Steve Wood
237
10 March 2008
* Tim Barnard
235
5 May 2008
* Phil Hansbro (UK/Australia)
229
16 April 2007
* Nigel Milius
226
1November 2006
* Alan McBride (Australia)
222
26 April 2006
* Peter Reese
220
1 March 2005
* Andrew Crossland
214
14 December 2006
* Wynston Cooper
214
4 January 2008
* Alan Collins (UK/Australia)
209
9 May 2008
* Tony Crocker
208
20 March 2007
* Mike Bell
204
25 January 2007
* Tania Ireton (Australia)
202
12 April 2008
  Tony Palliser (Australia)
192
23 December 2004
  Chris Doughty (Australia)
191
4 January 2007
  Ross Silcock (USA/NZ)
189
14 December 2007
  George Watola (UK/NZ)
188
6 July 2005
  Ian Smith
182
14 December 2007
  Peter Carnall
172
25 August 2008
  Philip Crutchley
168
21 January 2007
  Paul Cuming
165
14 April 2003
  Jim Moore
164
7 April 2003
  Tim Kastelle & Nancy Pachana (Australia)
162
1 July 2003
  John Ballantyne
151
30 May 2005
  Colin Lunt
150
20 June 2008
  Conori Bell (only 11 years of age!)
149
25 January 2007
  Rob Leslie (Sth Africa)
149
23 July 2005
  Simon Fordham
138
23 February 2005
  Eric Tull (Canada)
138
22 March 2006
  Trevor Hardaker (Sth Africa)
137
16 November 2002
  Brooke Clibbon (Canada)
135
22 March 2006
  Georges Olioso (France)
132
1 January 2006
  Simon Plat (Netherlands)
127
2 March 2005
  Bruce & Yvonne Wedderburn (Australia)
115
9 February 2008
  Chris Cooke
112
14 October 2006
  Jeremy Crossland (NZ's youngest lister!)
104
10 October 2006
  Chris & Ro Lester (Australia)
101
10 January 2008
  Brendan & Ruth McCartney (UK)
92
8 January 2003
       

* beside the persons name in the table above signifies they are members of the 200 Club

       
There's plenty of room so email your submissions in...

 

New Zealand Birder's 'Mainland' totals list

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

Name
Total
Date submitted
     
  Sav Saville
227
7 May 2007
  Brent Stephenson
218
1 April 2006
  Andrew Crossland
214
14 December 2006
  Colin Miskelly
214
20 May 2007
  Graeme Taylor
200
25 February 2005
  Wynston Cooper
189
4 January 2008
  Nigel Milius
188
8 May 2005
  Peter Reese
183
1 March 2005
  Ross Silcock (USA/NZ)
180
14 December 2007
  George Watola (UK/NZ)
168

6 July 2005

  Paul Cuming
165
14 April 2003
  Jim Moore
164
7 April 2003
  Tim Kastelle & Nancy Pachana (Australia)
162
1 July 2003
  Philip Crutchley
158
21 January 2007
  Peter Carnall
153
11 July 2006
  Simon Fordham
138
23 February 2005
  Trevor Hardaker (Sth Africa)
137
16 November 2002
  Simon Plat
127
2 March 2005
  Rob Leslie (Sth Africa)
126
23 July 2005
  Bruce & Yvonne Wedderburn (Australia)
115
9 February 2008
  Chris Cooke
112
14 October 2006
  Peter Carnall (Sth Africa)
108
10 June 2003
  Brendan & Ruth McCartney (UK)
92
8 January 2003
  Jeremy Crossland (NZ's youngest lister!)
104
10 October 2006
       
There's plenty of room so email your submissions in...

 

2006 New Zealand Year Listing
Name
Total
Date submitted
     
Brent Stephenson (download PDF list)

206 (NEW RECORD)
195 "Mainland" NZ

3 January 2007
Sav Saville
193
3 January 2007
Andrew Crossland
160
3 January 2007

 

2005 New Zealand Year Listing
Name
Total
Date submitted
     
Roger McNeill - so close but yet so far, Roger managed to get to 199 on 1 Jan!
197
5 January 2006
Brent Stephenson
186
2 January 2006
Sav Saville
175
2 January 2006
Andrew Crossland
167
14 December 2006
Nigel Milius
146
4 April 2006

 

2004 New Zealand Year Listing
Name
Total
   
Brent Stephenson
189
Sav Saville
182
Nigel Milius
171
Andrew Crossland
170
NB. the totals in this list may vary as a slightly older version of checklist was used during the 2004 year list.

 

History and planned changes for "The 'Official' New Zealand Birders checklist"
 

Version 1.0
Released on 23/02/05

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

Planned in next update –

  • inclusion of sub-specific information where relevant
  • inclusion of contact information for overseas birders who discover unusual birds