North Island Saddleback
Philesturnus rufusater
NTNear Threatened Endemic to New Zealand
- Family
- New Zealand Wattlebirds (Callaeidae)
- Order
- Passeriformes
Overview
The North Island saddleback (Philesturnus rufusater) is a forest-dwelling passerine bird species endemic to the North Island of New Zealand. It was once considered conspecific with the South Island saddleback. The IUCN lists the species as Near Threatened, while it is listed as a "relict" species in the New Zealand Threat Classification System. Saddlebacks are known in Māori as tīeke.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Range and habitat
Formerly widespread on North Island (New Zealand); by 1950s confined to Hen Island, now introduced to and has colonzied additional outlying islands.
Range description: AviList Global Avian Checklist.
Continents
Countries
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: North Island saddleback
- eBird: sightings, maps and photos
- xeno-canto: sound recordings
- Birds of the World: full species account (subscription)
- BirdLife DataZone: status and threats
- IUCN Red List (threat status)
- AviList global checklist (taxonomy)
Last updated September 29, 2026.
