Story: Small forest birds
The land mass that was to become New Zealand split away from the supercontinent Gondwana about 85 million years ago. The ancestors of several of New Zealand’s birds – including the New Zealand wren family – may have been on board the drifting land.
From around 55 million years ago, New Zealand has been separated from the nearest large land mass, Australia, by a gap of about 2,000 kilometres. The birds that have arrived in New Zealand since then have crossed this large body of water – most likely during westerly gales.
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GNS Science
Animation by Rupert Sutherland
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