Hawk or Raptor

Ninox novaeseelandiae

Māori name ‘ruru’

• In NZ birds of prey or raptors are those that hunt live animals
• These include swamp harrier, falcon, barn owl and morepork
• They feed on live insects, rats, chicks, mice, road kill, dead lambs, birds and lizards etc
• They hunt by dropping from a hight onto unsuspecting prey
• Their long legs are outstretched with sharp claws ready to snatch their prey
• They nest in grasslands or on platforms made of grass on the top of trees
• Mating begins with ‘sky dancing’ in July/August
• You will notice pairs rising on the thermals high in the sky and then dropping like a stone and rising again
• The female lays 5 to 6 whitish eggs and does all the incubation
• The male hunts food and drops the prey close to her so she can fly and catch it falling
• The chicks are dark brown hatching in January/February
• They don’t spend long with their parents and their inexperience gets the killed