Birds to See in New Zealand in January
61 bird species on our list for New Zealand are recorded regularly in January
Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Common Starling and European Goldfinch. New this month: Kakapo and Wood Duck.
On the move in January
GBIF · JanLeaving soon
From New Zealand’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 61 birds in January
61 birds
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.62% in Jan
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 3.96% in Jan
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 3.16% in Jan
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.63% in Jan
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisResidentCommon12–13 cmRecorded all year · 2.62% in Jan
GreenfinchChloris chlorisResidentCommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 2.18% in Jan
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosResidentCommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 2.12% in Jan
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinellaResidentCommon16–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.69% in Jan
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 1.57% in Jan
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.48% in Jan
Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicenResidentCommon37–43 cmRecorded all year · 1.42% in Jan
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentCommon12–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.24% in Jan
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 1.19% in Jan
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentCommon110–142 cmRecorded all year · 0.95% in Jan
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 0.90% in Jan
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.70% in Jan
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 0.63% in Jan
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.55% in Jan
CootFulica atraResidentUncommon36–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in Jan
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaSummer visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.29% in Jan
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.27% in Jan
Little PenguinEudyptula minorResidentUncommon30–40 cmRecorded all year · 0.21% in Jan
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.17% in Jan
Southern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea epomophoraSummer visitorUncommon115–123 cmRecorded all year · 0.15% in Jan
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Jan
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentUncommon46–51 cmRecorded all year · 0.13% in Jan
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Jan
White-chinned PetrelProcellaria aequinoctialisSummer visitorUncommon50–58 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.10% in Jan
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorUncommon41–46 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.10% in Jan
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.08% in Jan
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon91–122 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
YellowheadMohoua ochrocephalaSummer visitorUncommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Jan
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentUncommon86–230 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Jan
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentUncommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Jan
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataSummer visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.05% in Jan
Little OwlAthene noctuaResidentUncommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentUncommon140–160 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Jan
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentRare42–75 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Jan
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosSummer visitorRare19–23 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.03% in Jan
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Jan
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.02% in Jan
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in Jan
Southern Rockhopper PenguinEudyptes chrysocomeSummer visitorRare45–58 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.01% in Jan
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentRare53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlusResidentRare15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorRare31–35 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.01% in Jan
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusSummer visitorRare48–66 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.01% in Jan
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorRare18–20 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 0.01% in Jan
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentRare55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
EmuDromaius novaehollandiaeSummer visitorRare150–190 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.01% in Jan
Laughing KookaburraDacelo novaeguineaeResidentRare41–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Jan
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusSummer visitorRare46–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.00% in Jan
ChukarAlectoris chukarSummer visitorRare32–38 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.00% in Jan
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorRare45–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.00% in Jan
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaSummer visitorRare40–44 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.00% in Jan
Wandering AlbatrossDiomedea exulansSummer visitorRare107–135 cmRegularly Jun–Feb · 0.00% in Jan
KakapoStrigops habroptilusPassage migrantRare58–64 cmRegularly Nov–Jun · 0.00% in Jan
Wood DuckAix sponsaPassage migrantRare47–54 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.00% in Jan
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriSummer visitorRare38–42 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.00% in Jan
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made