The pīwauwau rock wren has oversized feet and is NZ’s only true alpine bird. Photo: Jeremy Sanson

Ancient wrens know how to rock

Natural history

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Michael Szabo

Michael is the author of Wild Wellington and Native Birds of Aotearoa, and editor of Birds New Zealand.

By Michael Szabo

With the rock wren and rifleman, we get to see rockstar posturing and arboreal acrobatics.

The tītitipounamu rifleman and the pīwauwau rock wren may be two of our smallest songbirds. But, when it comes to charm and gutsy grit, size doesn’t matter. The pīwauwau is our only true alpine bird, living in the Southern Alps between the treeline and permanent snow, where it forages for insects in crevices between large […]

About the author

Michael Szabo

Michael Szabo is the author of Wild Wellington and Native Birds of Aotearoa, editor of Birds New Zealand magazine, and writes for Greenpeace Aotearoa. He has explored all 14 national parks, the Chatham Islands and the Subantarctic Islands. He has also written for New Scientist, NZ Geographic, Sunday Star Times and The Listener, and is a former editor of Forest & Bird magazine. He has a joint honours degree in communications and cultural studies from the University of Leeds. His favourite food is bagels.