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Kōrero: Birds of prey

Morepork

Listen to the call of a morepork (ruru). Moreporks roost during the day and hunt at night. Their large eyes do not move in the sockets. Instead, the morepork swivels its head rapidly, up to 270 degrees. They have good night vision, and hunt insects and small animals.

Sound file from Birds of New Zealand. Compact disc. © Viking Sevenseas NZ (P O Box 152, Paraparaumu), 1980. All rights reserved.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Department of Conservation

Reference: 10028265

by Dick Veitch

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.

Ngā whakaahua me ngā rauemi katoa o tēnei kōrero

Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang

Gerard Hutching, Birds of prey – Morepork: New Zealand’s native owl, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/natural-sounds/9961/morepork (accessed 4 June 2026).

He kōrero nā Gerard Hutching, i tāngia i te 1 March 2009.

Comments

John F Watson
23 January 2018
There was a 1080 drop nearby in October. Does the Morepork stop calling in January? Three or four Hawks that regularly fed on the 309 Road Kill have disappeared? I have not seen a Fantail for months. No Yellow Hammers or White Eyes eat from my bird feeder anymore. I have observed only one stunted cicada case and hear no cicada's calling this summer.
Jo
12 May 2014
There is a northern maori family who truly believe ownership of the morepork is theirs which they call karangi or "granny" I have been told. Some of them find it difficult to accept that for the marjority of maori the call at night is indeed a message of imminent sad tidings)or ma-te (death.
Ross
11 May 2014
Hi Helen I live in Howick too and wonder whether it was a kaka you saw. These live on Little Barrier Island but make the trip to Howick regularly. I have heard these near the same area you live in and seen them in the pohutukawas on cliff edges near the streets high up. Rather wonderful! Ross
Lucy
05 January 2014
3 days in a row we have heard a morepork calling during the day. We wondered if was a young owl or maybe hurt. Have not heard the owl calling for 2 days now. For several years there has been morepork calling at night, sometimes in the trees on our section. We do feed birds through the Winter. Have not been able to see any bird even though calling from our native trees.
Tony Bullock
07 June 2013
last night at 11pm(6 June 2013) I walked the dog to the mail box and heard a Morepork .I was so excited I got my lady from her bed to come and listen We live in Central Ellerslie Auckland
Lynne
29 April 2013
I believe the morepork has a slightly different call when hunting do you have a recording of this call.
Anonymous
25 March 2013
Friday the 22nd of March was a balmy evening. We had our sliding doors open in our conservatory. We heard a quiet flapping noise in the conservatory and on inspection we found a beautiful morepork stressed in the corner trying to get out. I used a towel and carefully took the morepork but the talons. It just looked at me and did not fight. I immediately took it outside and it flew gracefully off in the dark and into a large pohutukawa tree nearby. This was the closest I have every been to a wild morepork. Due to the stress we felt the bird would have been under we did not get the camera to photograph it. We felt releasing it was paramount.
Cinders
06 May 2012
While walking on the Logue Bush Track in Tomarata, Wellsford we saw a large bird flying above our heads, landing on a branch, looked down on us. It looked like an owl... Maybe a morepork. It just sat there and let us get quite close. I have only ever heard them calling at night but have never seen anything like this in daylight!
Helen Wood
14 February 2011
I arrived in New Zealand two years ago and I live in Howick, quite close to the Bowls club and Howick Beach. Today I saw the most wonderful sight... I thought that it was a massive owl. On researching on the internet I have decided it was a morepork and it was really big, maybe 60cm in height with long talons. I was so amazed I couldn't speak... I just wish my husband saw it and that I had a camera. So wonderful!!!