Birds to See in New Zealand in March
61 bird species on our list for New Zealand are recorded regularly in March
Of these, the most often recorded are House Sparrow, Blackbird, Common Starling, Chaffinch and Australian Magpie. New this month: Long-tailed Jaeger and Rainbow Lorikeet.
On the move in March
GBIF · MarAt their peak
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 March
61 birds
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.40% in Mar
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 4.07% in Mar
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.47% in Mar
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 2.38% in Mar
Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicenResidentCommon37–43 cmRecorded all year · 2.18% in Mar
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.13% in Mar
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisResidentCommon12–13 cmRecorded all year · 2.06% in Mar
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosResidentCommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 1.50% in Mar
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.22% in Mar
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentCommon110–142 cmRecorded all year · 1.11% in Mar
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 1.11% in Mar
GreenfinchChloris chlorisResidentCommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 1.04% in Mar
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.70% in Mar
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinellaResidentCommon16–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.69% in Mar
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 0.61% in Mar
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentCommon12–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.57% in Mar
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Mar
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.56% in Mar
CootFulica atraResidentUncommon36–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.36% in Mar
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaSummer visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.31% in Mar
White-chinned PetrelProcellaria aequinoctialisSummer visitorUncommon50–58 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.19% in Mar
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.19% in Mar
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in Mar
Little PenguinEudyptula minorResidentUncommon30–40 cmRecorded all year · 0.18% in Mar
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Mar
Southern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea epomophoraSummer visitorUncommon115–123 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Mar
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.14% in Mar
Arctic JaegerStercorarius parasiticusSummer visitorUncommon41–46 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.12% in Mar
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.10% in Mar
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentUncommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Mar
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentUncommon46–51 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Mar
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon91–122 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Mar
YellowheadMohoua ochrocephalaSummer visitorUncommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Mar
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentUncommon140–160 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Mar
Little OwlAthene noctuaResidentUncommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Mar
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Mar
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentUncommon86–230 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Mar
Little TernSternula albifronsSummer visitorRare21–25 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.03% in Mar
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataSummer visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.03% in Mar
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentRare42–75 cmRecorded all year · 0.03% in Mar
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Mar
SanderlingCalidris albaSummer visitorRare18–20 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 0.01% in Mar
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in Mar
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentRare53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Mar
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentRare55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Mar
Common TernSterna hirundoSummer visitorRare31–35 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.01% in Mar
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Mar
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorRare45–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Mar
Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotosSummer visitorRare19–23 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.01% in Mar
Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlusResidentRare15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Mar
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.01% in Mar
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusPassage migrantRare48–58 cmRegularly Oct–Mar · 0.01% in Mar
Laughing KookaburraDacelo novaeguineaeResidentRare41–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Mar
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaSummer visitorRare40–44 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 0.00% in Mar
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusSummer visitorRare46–51 cmRegularly Nov–Apr · 0.00% in Mar
ChukarAlectoris chukarSummer visitorRare32–38 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.00% in Mar
KakapoStrigops habroptilusPassage migrantRare58–64 cmRegularly Nov–Jun · 0.00% in Mar
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusSummer visitorRare48–66 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.00% in Mar
Southern Rockhopper PenguinEudyptes chrysocomeSummer visitorRare45–58 cmRegularly Nov–Mar · 0.00% in Mar
EmuDromaius novaehollandiaeSummer visitorRare150–190 cmRegularly Oct–Jun · 0.00% in Mar
Rainbow LorikeetTrichoglossus moluccanusPassage migrantRare25–30 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.00% in Mar
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