Morepork they emulate the bird's distinctive two-pitched call. It has dark brown plumage with prominent pale spots, and golden-yellow eyes. It is generally nocturnal, though is sometimes active at dawn and dusk, retiring to roost in secluded spots in the foliage of trees. The morepork feeds on insects and small vertebrates, hunting by pouncing on them from tree perches. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed the morepork as being of least concern on account of its large range and apparently stable population. English naturalist John Latham wrote of the New Zealand owl in his 1780s work "A General
Australasian pipit Australasian pipit The Australasian pipit ("Anthus novaeseelandiae") is a fairly small passerine bird of open country in Australia, New Zealand and New Guinea. It belongs to the pipit genus "Anthus" in the family Motacillidae. It was formerly lumped together with the Richard's, African, Mountain and Paddyfield pipits in a single species: Richard's pipit, "Anthus novaeseelandiae". Some authors split the Australasian pipit further into two species: Australian pipit ("Anthus australis") in Australia and New Guinea and New Zealand pipit ("Anthus novaeseelandiae"), also called Pïhoihoi, in New Zealand. It is a slender bird, 16 to 19 cm long, and weighs about 40