Birds to See in New Zealand in September
51 bird species on our list for New Zealand are recorded regularly in September
Of these, the most often recorded are Blackbird, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Common Starling and Song Thrush. New this month: Sooty Shearwater, White-chinned Petrel, Pacific Golden-Plover and Sharp-tailed Sandpiper and 3 more.
On the move in September
GBIF · SepArriving
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 51 birds in September
51 birds
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 5.59% in Sep
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 4.69% in Sep
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 4.05% in Sep
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.84% in Sep
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosResidentCommon20–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.29% in Sep
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year · 2.62% in Sep
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisResidentCommon12–13 cmRecorded all year · 2.10% in Sep
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 2.05% in Sep
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisResidentCommon16–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.02% in Sep
Australian MagpieGymnorhina tibicenResidentCommon37–43 cmRecorded all year · 1.90% in Sep
GreenfinchChloris chlorisResidentCommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 1.78% in Sep
YellowhammerEmberiza citrinellaResidentCommon16–17 cmRecorded all year · 1.36% in Sep
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.21% in Sep
Black SwanCygnus atratusResidentCommon110–142 cmRecorded all year · 0.96% in Sep
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year · 0.76% in Sep
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.61% in Sep
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 0.53% in Sep
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentCommon12–14 cmRecorded all year · 0.52% in Sep
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year · 0.37% in Sep
CootFulica atraResidentUncommon36–42 cmRecorded all year · 0.30% in Sep
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentUncommon75–90 cmRecorded all year · 0.16% in Sep
Little PenguinEudyptula minorResidentUncommon30–40 cmRecorded all year · 0.12% in Sep
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusResidentUncommon46–51 cmRecorded all year · 0.10% in Sep
Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavoResidentUncommon91–122 cmRecorded all year · 0.09% in Sep
Red KnotCalidris canutusSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRecorded all year · 0.08% in Sep
Great White EgretArdea albaResidentUncommon80–104 cmRecorded all year · 0.07% in Sep
Indian PeafowlPavo cristatusResidentUncommon86–230 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Sep
Southern Royal AlbatrossDiomedea epomophoraSummer visitorUncommon115–123 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Sep
Muscovy DuckCairina moschataResidentUncommon66–84 cmRecorded all year · 0.06% in Sep
Little OwlAthene noctuaResidentUncommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Sep
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresSummer visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Sep
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaSummer visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.05% in Sep
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentUncommon140–160 cmRecorded all year · 0.05% in Sep
Red JunglefowlGallus gallusResidentRare42–75 cmRecorded all year · 0.04% in Sep
Cirl BuntingEmberiza cirlusResidentRare15–17 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Sep
YellowheadMohoua ochrocephalaSummer visitorUncommon15–16 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Sep
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentRare55–65 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Sep
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorRare40–46 cmRecorded all year · 0.02% in Sep
White-chinned PetrelProcellaria aequinoctialisSummer visitorUncommon50–58 cmRegularly Sep–May · 0.02% in Sep
Pacific Golden-PloverPluvialis fulvaSummer visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.02% in Sep
RookCorvus frugilegusWinter visitorRare45–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Sep
Helmeted GuineafowlNumida meleagrisResidentRare53–63 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Sep
Laughing KookaburraDacelo novaeguineaeResidentRare41–47 cmRecorded all year · 0.01% in Sep
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaSummer visitorRare18–23 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.01% in Sep
Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataSummer visitorUncommon17–22 cmRegularly Sep–Apr · 0.01% in Sep
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorRare44–51 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.00% in Sep
Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaPassage migrantRare36–42 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.00% in Sep
ChukarAlectoris chukarSummer visitorRare32–38 cmRegularly Jul–May · 0.00% in Sep
Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellusSummer visitorRare48–66 cmRegularly Jun–Mar · 0.00% in Sep
White-winged TernChlidonias leucopterusSummer visitorRare20–27 cmRecorded all year · 0.00% in Sep
Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameriSummer visitorRare38–42 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.00% in Sep
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