Skip to main content

Story: Wetland birds

Distribution of whio

Image
Distribution of whio

Whio or blue ducks once used the full length of forested waterways down to the coast, but are now confined to remote mountain streams in the North and South islands.

Using this item

Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

Source: C. J. R. Robertson, P. Hyvönen, M. J. Fraser, and C. R. Pickard, Atlas of bird distribution in New Zealand, 1999–2004. Wellington: Ornithological Society of New Zealand, 2007

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Christina Troup, Wetland birds – Whio – blue ducks, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/map/14633/distribution-of-whio (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Christina Troup, published 1 March 2009.