Skip to main content

Kōrero: Birds of prey

Morepork and prey

Image
Morepork and prey

Moreporks catch prey with their talons, and carry it in their bill. This male is bringing a fantail chick to his nest in a tree hollow. He will call the female out from the nest to take it. After eating some, she will tear the rest into small bites for their chicks.

Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi

Nga Manu Images

by David Mudge

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/photograph/9971/morepork-and-prey (accessed 4 June 2026).

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

Comments

June Allen
28 December 2013
Will someone please tell me if moreporks commonly eat cicadas? I can find no reference to suggest this, and yet I am surprised if they don't. I read that moreporks eat insects, and I know that cicadas 'sing' at night. So why is there no correlation, I wonder? I'd appreciate your input.