I share colouring pages index:

Little penguins, or kororā, were once very common in New Zealand. Most are now on offshore islands where there is less disturbance.
They are excellent divers, and swimmers. Foraging trips see them going within 20km of their colony sites! When little penguins moult they replace all their feathers at once, and they must stay on land for 2 weeks when they moult, a risky time for them.

Kawau paka, the little shag, is a familiar sight in the area. They have an amazing variation in plumage! They are generally solitary when feeding. The males have elaborate bowing courtship displays at or near the nest.

They like to eat small fish, eels and crustaceans; also frogs, tadpoles and insects. You can frequently see them out diving in the bay, sometimes even in the tidal puddles.

Tara iti, or the NZ fairy tern, is a small delicate coastal tern. It is New Zealands rarest indigenous breeding bird. They have been struggling to exist since the 1970s.

Tara iti (NZ fairy tern) scare easily, if you are lucky enough to spot these rare birds, please leave them space. There are approximately 40 left in the whole world.

Tūturiwhatu, New Zealand dotterel, is a threatened endemic shorebird that is classified as endangered, and nationally vulnerable. Predation, loss of habitat, and disturbance are the major threats to the northern subspecies. Important mammalian predators include stoats, cats, and hedgehogs. Other factors that reduce breeding success are flooding and crushing of nests, and disturbance during breeding caused by the recreational use of beaches by people, vehicles and dogs (Lord 1996; Dowding 1998). Northern New Zealand dotterels are widely and thinly spread, with the majority of sites having only a few breeding birds. This creates a perception that impacts at a particular site may be acceptable because only a few pairs are involved. However, protecting small populations in many locations is needed to see them recover, it requires community involvement to prevent their extinction.

Pūtangitangi, pūtakitaki or paradise shelduck and her chicks are pictured here. Don't colour the chicks yellow, as these are brown and white! Some people call the chicks mint humbugs because of their colour!

Kawau or kāruhiruhi, the pied shag, is another common bird to see in the area. When resting during the day, birds occur on undisturbed beaches, shoreline rocks, trees and artificial structures. Did you know that when they are swimming slowly at the surface, they use alternate feet. However, when underwater they use both feet at the same time.

The poaka, pied stilt, is a long legged wading bird with, as its name suggests, black-and-white coloration. It is common at wetlands and coastal areas throughout New Zealand and may be seen feeding alongside oystercatchers and godwits.

Pied stilts tend to be shy of people and fly away, yapping, when approached.

Tarāpunga, or the red-billed gull has always been a common sight in New Zealand, however their numbers are currently decreasing at an alarming rate! They are now considered an at risk species and are protected. This is thought to be a result of climate change driving krill, a main staple for many birds and other sea life, deeper in the ocean for access to cooler water. While Red-billed gulls might be keen to eat your left-overs, they didn't evolve to eat our highly processed sugary, salty, and fatty food. Eating it can lead to health problems in birds including malnutrition, lung diseases and avian botulism. This type of avian malnutrition can lead to wing and foot disorders to leave a bird crippled, and eventually to die.

Kōtuku-ngutupapa, or the royal spoonbill is frequently seen on the beach side of Snells Beach in the late fall and through the winter. They nest from November to February, they have been known to nest on the Mahurangi harbour side of Snells Beach. They feed while wading in water, repeatedly scything the submerged spoon-shaped bill left and right in an arc. They feed day or night, whenever the tide is suitable. Their main diet is fish in freshwater, and shrimps in tidal flats; they also eat other crustaceans, aquatic insects and frogs. Vibration detectors inside their bill help detect prey in murky water or darkness. When prey is detected the bird snaps the bill shut and lifts it to let prey slide down its throat.

Tōrea pango, or the variable oyster catcher. Variable oystercatchers eat a wide range of food: molluscs such as mussels, tuatua and cockles, crustaceans, and annelids. They favour bivalve molluscs (e.g. mussels, tuatua, cockles) when on the shore. On grass they eat a range of terrestrial invertebrates, including earthworms. They are one of the few shorebirds that feed their young.

Wait, what? That's not a shorebird. And yes you are correct it is not, however our shoreline frequently sees the energetic pīwakawaka and their flying antics as they chase after insects.