South Island Saddleback
Philesturnus carunculatus
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyCallaeatidae
- GenusPhilesturnus (Saddlebacks)
- SpeciesPhilesturnus carunculatus (South Island Saddleback)
The South Island saddleback or tīeke (Philesturnus carunculatus) is a forest-dwelling passerine bird in the New Zealand wattlebird family which is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Both the North Island saddleback and this species were formerly considered conspecific. The Department of Conservation currently has the South Island saddleback listed as At Risk--Declining. Wikipedia →
<5% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Saddleback sighting in Fiordland National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Fiordland National Park
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
New Zealand Fantail
Rhipidura fuliginosa
New Zealand Bellbird
Anthornis melanura
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Tūī
Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
Grey Warbler
Gerygone igata
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
Miromiro
Petroica macrocephala
Silvereye
Zosterops lateralis
South Island Robin
Petroica australis
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammea
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelos
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a South Island Saddleback in Fiordland National Park?
About 1% of wildlife watchers report a South Island Saddleback sighting in Fiordland National Park, based on 16 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see South Island Saddleback in Fiordland National Park?
April has the highest sighting rate for South Island Saddleback in Fiordland National Park in our monthly data.