Ruru
Morepork
Ninox novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae
Their Story
Ruru (morepork) is Aotearoa’s only surviving native owl. Their haunting “ruru” call can be heard echoing through native and exotic forests across New Zealand. They also produce a range of mews, yelps, and “crees.”
Like most owls, ruru are nocturnal. They rest during the day in shady roosts, though small birds may mob them and force them to move if discovered. Ruru cannot move their large yellow eyes within their sockets, but can rotate their heads up to 270°. Their soft-fringed wing feathers allow them to fly silently while hunting.
Ruru are monogamous and territorial, occupying areas of 3.5 to 7.8 hectares. They nest from late October to November in tree cavities, hollow logs, dense vegetation, or hollows beneath tree roots or rocks. Females incubate one to three eggs for around 30 days, while males bring food. Chicks fledge at 35–40 days but remain dependent for several more weeks.
At the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, ruru appear to be thriving — likely feasting on mice within our pest-free forest.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Populations are currently stable, though still at risk from habitat loss, predation, and secondary poisoning.
Population
Widespread throughout New Zealand in both native and exotic forests. Locally common within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Voice
Distinctive “ruru” call, often heard at night. Also produces mews, yelps, and “crees.”
Food
Feeds on insects, lizards, frogs, mice, and small birds. Usually hunts by “perch and pounce,” but also catches moths and beetles in flight.
Ruru are small, compact owls with large yellow eyes, mottled brown plumage, and a rounded head with no ear tufts. Their distinctive “ruru” call gives them their Māori name, as well as their “morepork” call giving their English name. Males and females look alike, though females are slightly larger. Their large, forward-facing eyes provide exceptional night vision, while their soft, fringed feathers allow silent flight — perfect for ambushing prey.
Primarily nocturnal, ruru rest during the day in dense vegetation or hollow trees. They hunt at night, swooping silently to catch insects, mice, small birds, and bats. If discovered during the day, they are often mobbed by much smaller korimako. Their calls vary from the classic “ruru” to a range of mews, yelps, and sharp “crees,” used for communication between mates and defending territory.
Ruru are monogamous and territorial, occupying areas of around 3.5 to 7.8 hectares. Nesting occurs from late October to November, usually in tree cavities, hollow logs, dense vegetation, or sheltered hollows beneath roots or rocks. Females lay one to three eggs, incubating for about 30 days while the male provides food. Chicks fledge at around 35–40 days.
Ruru are found throughout mainland New Zealand and many offshore islands, inhabiting forests, farmland, and urban parks. They adapt well to mixed habitats so long as there are suitable nesting areas. They thrive in predator-controlled intact old growth native forests where nesting opportunities are available.
Ruru are classified as Not Threatened, as they are present in most remaining indigenous forests, though at a low density. They have however declined severely since human arrival due to the conversion of native forests and the introduction of exotic predators.
Ruru appear to be thriving within the Sanctuary, likely taking advantage of the high mouse densities that resulted from the removal of other exotic predators. Ruru sing alongside kiwi pukupuku and wētā at nightfall, when the forest comes to life with a whole new suite of characters.
🪶 Ruru can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees!
Our other residents
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🪶 Ngahere Neighbourhood: piriwai (spiny gilled mayfly)
Tiny, ancient, and found only in Aotearoa — the spiny gilled mayfly (Coloburiscus humeralis) spends up to four years underwater before living just a few days as an adult.
Piriwai can only survive in clean, fast-flowing streams. Its larvae cling to river rocks, filtering food from the water with tiny hair-like gills. They are an important sign of healthy freshwater ecosystems, so much so that this species gets a rating of 8-9 on the sensitivity/stream health rating. All native stream macroinvertebrates are ranked in terms of their sensitivity and used as a bioindicator of stream health.
The Sanctuary stream is a reference site for stream health and represents a `pure`, unadulterated site and thus is highly diverse in sensitive stream invertebrates.
📸 Photo: Taken by Henry Hart here at the Sanctuary
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #AotearoaNature #FreshwaterLife #NelsonTasman #Conservation #Piriwai
Feb 17
Their Raucous Call Returns: Kākā Set to Reclaim the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. 🦜
This March, we’re scheduled to welcome two male and one female kākā fledglings from the Dunedin Botanic Garden kākā breeding programme. There’s also the potential for a further four birds to arrive in May.
Kākā are unique to Aotearoa and are nationally vulnerable, with populations heavily impacted by introduced predators. Releasing them into a pest-free sanctuary with ideal habitat (old growth beech forest) gives them the best chance to thrive.
This release will build on years of species translocations as part of the Sanctuary’s ambitious ecosystem restoration efforts, including:
🏠 Kākāriki karaka in 2021
🏠 Powelliphanta hochstetteri consobrina (giant snails) in 2021
🏠 Tuatara in November 2024 and May 2025
🏠 Kiwi in May 2025
Over the coming weeks, our team will be busy planning and preparing for this important translocation. We’ll share more details on timing and what to expect closer to the date.
Thank you to our community of donors, volunteers, business supporters, and Sanctuary Members for continuing to back the Sanctuary — your support is vital to every species return. We can’t wait to celebrate this next milestone with you.
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #Kākā #ConservationNZ #NelsonNZ #PredatorFree #NativeWildlife #Biodiversity
Feb 10
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
