Watching Birds in New Zealand with Brent Stephenson

New Zealand is famous for its epic landscapes. It’s become a favorite place for filmmakers who want dramatic scenery. But New Zealand is also known for having unique and unusual wildlife, particularly its birds. There are more than 370 species of birds that can be found in New Zealand, about a quarter of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

Brent Stephenson knows New Zealand’s birds better than just about anybody. He’s an ornithologist with a Ph.D. in Zoology from Massey University who has led birding expeditions in New Zealand and around the world. At one point he held the record for the most birds seen in New Zealand by a person in a single year! One species, the New Zealand storm petrel, was thought to be extinct until Brent spotted one in 2003. Brent is also a photographer and author of the book, Birds of New Zealand: A Photographic Guide.

Join Wild World host Scott Solomon on a trip to New Zealand with the Rice Alumni Traveling Owls! The Traveling Owls program offers exciting intellectual itineraries to destinations across the globe. You don’t have to be a Rice alum to participate in Traveling Owls programs. Scott will be hosting a Traveling Owls trip to New Zealand in December 2025 on a custom itinerary by International Seminar Design, Inc. Visit https://alumni.rice.edu/travelingowls/new-zealand-wonders for details or call ISDI at 202-244-1448 to sign up!

More info about New Zealand birds:

https://www.doc.govt.nz/nature/native-animals/birds/

https://www.expeditions.com/expedition-stories/stories/slideshow-the-birds-of-new-zealand

More info about New Zealand

https://www.britannica.com/place/New-Zealand

This episode of Wild World was produced by 3WireCreative with support from the Rice Alumni Traveling Owls.

Help support this podcast and future episodes by checking out Autio, the perfect travel companion app for more engaging road trips. Autio is a network of stories, told by master storytellers like Kevin Costner, Phil Jackson, and John Lithgow, with the power to bring the landscape, its people, and its history alive as you pass through it.

Mentioned in this episode:

Traveling Owls New Zealand v2

Discovering the Natural...