Warou
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo tahitica neoxena
Their Story
While welcome swallows (warou) were first reported in New Zealand in the 1920s, they didn’t become firmly established until the 1950s and 60s. Like silvereyes, they are self-introduced from Australia — likely blown across the Tasman by storms — and are now considered native and protected.
Today, warou are widespread across Aotearoa. Entirely insectivorous, they are most often seen near water, where they swoop and glide gracefully to catch flying insects — sometimes even skimming just below the surface. Their exceptional manoeuvrability comes from their slender, triangular wings and long, forked tails.
The welcome swallow is a striking little bird with a glossy dark-blue back, white belly, and chestnut face and bib. Males and females look alike. Breeding runs from August to February, with courtship displays that include chasing, tail-fanning, and bill-touching.
Pairs build nests from mud reinforced with grass and lined with feathers, wool and plant fibres. Nests are attached to natural or manmade structures such as cliffs, bridges, buildings, or under eaves. The female alone broods the eggs, but both parents feed the chicks. Each breeding season, a pair may raise up to three clutches, each containing 2–7 pink, brown-speckled eggs.
In winter, warou often gather in flocks, moving opportunistically in search of food rather than following fixed migratory routes. They are a familiar and welcome sight around the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Visitor Centre, darting over the stream and car park in the evening light.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
A self-introduced native species now common throughout New Zealand.
Population
Widespread across the country in open habitats near water, including wetlands, rivers, and farmland. Common around the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary Visitor Centre.
Voice
Soft twittering and chattering calls, often heard during flight or while perched together in small flocks.
Food
Feeds entirely on flying insects, often caught in mid-air or just above the surface of water.
Warou are small birds with glossy dark-blue upperparts, white underparts, and rich chestnut colouring on the face and throat. Their long, deeply forked tails and pointed wings make them unmistakable in flight. Males and females look alike, and juveniles appear duller with shorter tails.
Agile and acrobatic, warou feed exclusively on flying insects, catching them mid-air with quick swoops, glides, and dives — sometimes skimming low over water to snatch prey. Their flight patterns are smooth and graceful, aided by their slender wings and aerodynamic bodies. In winter, they form small flocks and move opportunistically in search of insects.
Breeding runs from August to March. Pairs engage in courtship displays involving tail-fanning, chasing, and gentle bill-touching. Nests are made of mud reinforced with grass and lined with feathers, wool, and plant fibres, typically attached to cliffs, bridges, buildings, or sheltered structures. The female incubates 2–7 pink, brown-speckled eggs for about 17 days. Both parents feed the chicks, which fledge after around 20 days. Pairs may raise up to three broods per season.
Originally from Australia, warou first established in Aotearoa during the 1950s and 60s, likely blown across the Tasman by storms. They are now widespread throughout New Zealand, inhabiting open areas near water, farmlands, coasts, and urban spaces. At the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, they are often seen above the stream, particularly in the lower valley.
Warou are classified as Not Threatened and continue to expand their range. Their adaptability and close association with human environments contribute to their success across Aotearoa.
Warou are a regular presence around the Sanctuary’s waterways and visitor facilities. Their aerial agility and constant movement add a lively dimension to the valley’s birdlife. These birds are one of many ‘native’ birds that have been able to establish in New Zealand due to the loss of endemic species and the modification of our environment.
🪶 The name warou derives from Polynesian languages and is shared with several swallow species across the Pacific, reflecting their widespread, migratory nature.
Our other residents
Check out some of the other incredible wildlife that call the Sanctuary home
Follow us on Instagram
@brooksanctuary
Share your photos with #brooksanctuary
Win prizes for your best summer photo at the Sanctuary 📸🏆☀️
This season, we want to see the Sanctuary through your lens — the bright light through the canopy, the textures of the forest floor, and the tiny details that make summer feel alive.
Enter our Summer Photography Competition (part of our Sanctuary Seasons series) and you could win:
🏆 Instant camera (Junior Photography winner)
🌙 Family ticket to a guided night tour
📰 Feature in our newsletter + social media
🖼️ Printed display at the Visitor Centre
📅 Entries close 28 February - Submit your entries via our website: Link in bio
Photo credit: Helen Power - Entry from the spring photography competition
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #SanctuarySeasons #Ngahere #NaturePhotography #NZWildlife #NelsonTasman #VisitNelson #NZHikes #EcoTourismNZ #ConservationStorytelling
Feb 4
Looking for a unique and memorable date night? 🌙🌲
This February, we’re introducing Date Me Darling — private, curated date nights inside the Sanctuary at dusk.
Three styled locations. One couple at a time. You’ll have a styled spot along the main loop track, locally sourced food and drinks, a few games to share, and time to slow down together as the forest shifts into evening.
Beech Glade: for when you want the world to fall away — deeply hidden, totally private, just you and the hush of the forest.
River: crystal clear water, canopy above, flickering lights — the kind of setup you usually only see on Instagram.
Meadow: open sky, long grass, and the forest standing quietly at the edges like it knows not to interrupt.
Bookings are open now (limited spaces in February only so don’t miss out!): Link in bio
#DateMeDarling #NelsonNZ #NelsonTasman #ThingsToDoNelson #DateNightIdeas #NatureLovers #SupportLocalNZ #ConservationNZ #BrookWaimāramaSanctuary
Feb 3
Two cute to be true?
Brook Waimārama Sanctuary and @savethekiwinz teams have been busy over the past few days tracking and recapturing kiwi to remove their transmitters. Thanks to a huge team effort, all ten males were recaptured within just three days.
Some nest burrows held a surprise or two — in several cases a female was present, and a couple even contained chicks. One burrow amazed us all, with not one but two adorable chicks 😍
All chicks are fully independent at this stage of the season, and after quick health checks and transmitter removal, all adult kiwi were safely returned to their burrows.
This special footage was captured by kiwi handler Tamsin from Save the Kiwi, who led the transmitter removal mahi.
We estimate the 20 females and 21 males released in May last year have already produced around 10–15 kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) chicks in their very first breeding season — a strong sign the habitat is just right.
With transmitters now removed from all ten males, the kiwi are completely free, with no further handling needed. Annual kiwi call counts by staff and volunteers will help track the growing population across our 690 ha, ring-fenced, pest-free sanctuary.
Credit: Video courtesy of Tamsin Ward-Smith, Save the Kiwi
Thanks to our partnership with @terunangaotoa Ngati Toa and Save the Kiwi
#kiwipukupuku #littlespottedkiwi #brookwaimaramasanctuary #nelson #thetopofthesouth #conservation #biodiversity #nativebirds #natureloversnz #newzealandwildlife #pestfree #ringfencedsanctuary #conservationinaction
Jan 29
🎻 45 min string quartet concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
Come and hear a dynamic young string quartet perform a 45 min concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. We welcome everyone to come along, and bring anyone you think might be curious to hear some classical music in a relaxed environment.
The @antipodes.quartet is part of the Fellowship Ensemble Programme, a joint venture between the @adamchambermusicfestival, @newzealandstringquartet and @chambermusicnz, as a career-development experience offered to four of this country’s most promising young string players.
The Antipodes Quartet are Eden Annesley (violin), Mana Waiariki (violin), Tal Amoore (viola) and Lavinnia Rae (cello).
On this occasion, Brook Waimārama Sanctuary are welcoming everyone at local prices: Adult $15, Child $9; Family $35 (on the door)
Find out more: (Link in bio)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #NelsonNZ #Whakatū #WhatsonNelson #NelsonTasman #LiveMusicNZ #ChamberMusicNZ #StringQuartet #ClassicalMusicNZ #AdamChamberMusicFestival #NewZealandStringQuartet #ChamberMusicNewZealand #FamilyFriendly #NatureAndCulture #SupportLocalArts
Jan 27
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
Kahuwai | Black Tunnelweb Spider
Porrhothele antipodiana
I have a mixed history with this incredible spider. One hairy individual decided that my jersey pocket was a great place to set up shop. It received a rude awakening upon the home invasion of my unaware hand. Its brilliant fangs pierced and invenomated my finger, and despite the swelling and the shock and the pain… I couldn’t help but feel bad for evicting the guy. Its hobbit-like hole dwelling nature led the spider to my soft, warm pocket. Ironically, but not surprisingly, this species was the inspiration for Peter Jackson’s ‘Shelob’ in the Lord of the Rings films.
Kahuwai, the black tunnelweb spider, forms dense sheets of silk surrounding their tunnels. These sheets are monitored by the spider, who detects vibrations of a passer by. Wētā, land hoppers and any other unlucky invertebrate. The kahuwai swiftly grabs its prey and drags it into the depths. This spider however is also the victim of the endemic golden hunter wasp, who paralyses the spider before dragging it into the wasp’s nest (talk about shoes on the other foot!) and laying an egg beside it. The spider then becomes baby formula.
Despite the bite, this amazing spider has my vote! Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Photo: @henry._.hart (in the second image of Shelob`s lair you can see a giant pill millipede has fallen victim...)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 25
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
This candidate is the beautifully disguised Rō, the Two-Spined Stick Insect. Micrachus hystriculeus is endemic to central Aotearoa, most common from Nelson, through Marlborough and Wellington. Stick insects display a classic example of crypsis. That is, their behaviour and physiology work in tandem to remain completely undetected and unharmed. They feed on leaves high in the canopy of trees like kānuka. At night you can often spot them, usually with the small males riding on the backs of the much larger females.
All modern New Zealand stick insects are the relatives of two colonisation events from New Caledonia around 30 million years ago. They radiated into nine separate genera and dispersed into coastal, lowland and subalpine ecosystems throughout the motu. This species, alongside at least five other stick insect species, live out their slow and sticky lives within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Will you vote for Micrachus hystriculeus? Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Stay tuned for our last candidate…
Photo: Saryu Mae - @invertebratist
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 24
