Education & Advocacy
At Wingspan, we believe that every New Zealander deserves the chance to know, understand, and fall in love with our birds of prey.
The more people who care about the kārearea, the ruru, and the kāhu, the safer their future becomes. Explore the world of New Zealand's raptors below, and discover the science, the culture, and the history that makes these birds so extraordinary.
New Zealand's Birds of Prey
A bird of prey is a bird that hunts for its food. But plenty of birds hunt for their food and are not birds of prey. So what makes these birds different? And what exactly is a raptor?
New Zealand is home to a small but fascinating group of native raptors, each one a master hunter shaped by millions of years of evolution. The kārearea is our only falcon: a threatened species found nowhere else on Earth, and one of the fastest and most agile birds on the planet. Alongside it, the ruru morepork hunts silently through the night, the kāhu swamp harrier patrols our wetlands and farmland, and the barn owl has quietly established itself across parts of the country.
Understanding what makes these birds unique, their anatomy, their behaviour, and their role in the ecosystem, is the first step toward protecting them. Explore our guide to New Zealand's birds of prey and discover what sets a raptor apart from every other hunter in the sky.
Falconry
Falconry is the art of hunting for quarry with a trained bird of prey. It is one of the oldest partnerships between humans and wild animals, practised for more than 4,000 years across cultures from the steppes of Mongolia to the deserts of the Middle East, and recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
But why does falconry matter today? And what does an ancient hunting tradition have to do with saving the New Zealand falcon?
At Wingspan, falconry is far more than heritage. It is an essential conservation tool. The skills and techniques developed over millennia allow our team to train, handle, and rehabilitate birds of prey in ways that would otherwise be impossible. Falconry is the reason we can breed kārearea in captivity, prepare them for life in the wild, and give injured birds a second chance. Without it, our conservation work simply could not exist.
Discover the history of this remarkable art and why it remains as vital as ever to the future of New Zealand's raptors.
Māori & Birds of Prey
Long before European settlers arrived in Aotearoa, birds of prey held a profound and sacred place in te ao Māori. Tohunga (spiritual advisors) used birds of prey as mediums to communicate with the gods, and the ruru morepork features especially prominently in Māori mythology as a watchful guardian and messenger of the spirit world.
The kārearea is a taonga species, treasured not only for its extraordinary power and speed but for its deep spiritual and cultural significance to iwi across Aotearoa. The protection of the kārearea is inseparable from the protection of Māori heritage.
Wingspan works respectfully alongside tangata whenua to honour this rich cultural legacy, ensuring our conservation approach is grounded in both western science and mātauranga Māori.
Explore the unique and fascinating relationship between Māori and New Zealand's birds of prey, a relationship that continues to shape how we understand and protect these taonga today.
Our Environment
Saving New Zealand's birds of prey is not just about the birds. It's about supporting a healthy environment.
Birds of prey sit at the top of the food chain. They are apex predators, and that makes them powerful indicators of ecosystem health. When raptors thrive, it tells us that the landscape below them is functioning: that there are healthy populations of prey species, that waterways are clean, that habitat is intact, and that the web of life connecting soil to sky is holding together.
When raptors decline, it is often the first visible sign that something in the wider environment is going wrong: habitat loss, predator pressure, toxic chemicals, or the steady fragmentation of the wild places these birds depend on.
At Wingspan, our conservation work reaches far beyond individual birds. We advocate for the landscapes, waterways, and ecosystems that all of New Zealand's wildlife, including its people, depend on. Protecting our raptors means protecting the environment we all share.
Kids Activities
A fun way to introduce children to our birds of prey and spark a love of New Zealand's natural world that lasts a lifetime. Meet Zoe the morepork and Koha the kārearea falcon. Wingspan's two beloved ambassador birds are here to guide your tamariki through the wonderful world of New Zealand raptors. Through fun, age-appropriate activities designed for small and big kids alike, Zoe and Koha make learning about birds of prey exciting, hands-on, and genuinely memorable.
From colouring pages and activity sheets to puzzles, games, and behind-the-scenes peeks into life at Wingspan, our kids activities are perfect for curious young minds: at home, in the classroom, or right here at the centre. Because the next generation of conservationists is out there right now, and we want to help them find their wings.