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Story: Native plants and animals – overview

Rock wrens

Video file

Watch rock wrens (Xenicus gilviventris) building a nest. The ancestors of wrens are ancient birds thought to have been in New Zealand since it broke away from Gondwana 85 million years ago.

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Natural History New Zealand

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How to cite this page

Bob Brockie, Native plants and animals – overview – Alpine, wetland and coastal animals, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/10603/rock-wrens (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Bob Brockie, published 1 March 2009.