An Art Print for Every Bird of The Year | NZ Fine Prints

An Art Print for Every Bird of The Year

While the annual Bird of the Year (BOTY) competition may have already come and gone for 2020, we believe that native birds of New Zealand need all the love they can get all year round. In tribute to the Bird of the Year competition that raises awareness of native birds in Aotearoa, in this post we revisit four of the birds that have recently been voted Bird of the Year to showcase art prints of each specimen by a talented avian artist from our collection of prints for sale.

The Kākāpō (2020)

Kakapo Print from Buller's Birds of NZ

The first New Zealand bird we introduce is the kākāpō (a.k.a. stringops habroptilus), winner of New Zealand’s Bird of the Year (Te Manu Rongonui o Te Tau) for 2020. In this print, we see a beautiful rendition of the kākāpō or "Owl Parrot" from Buller's Birds of NZ. This is a fine example of this endangered species before it was endangered! This large, nocturnal bird is a flightless, ground-dwelling parrot endemic to New Zealand. First published in 1888 in Buller’s A History of Birds of New Zealand, second edition, the kākāpō is subtitled as an “Owl Parrot”, a common name at the time, now forgotten by most. Bird prints like this one will make a fine addition to any home or office, bringing a refreshing touch of natural Kiwi beauty to your walls.

The Kererū (2018)

Print of a Kererū by Keulemans

Meet the Kererū (Carpophaga Novae Zealandiae), the only pigeon that is native to the mainland of Aotearoa. Winner of Bird of the Year 2018, this large feathery fowl is known for its noisy wingbeats and is seen as an important seed disperser for native trees, attributed to its ability to swallow large fruits that other birds cannot. It’s for this reason that kererū are usually seen sitting on a branch, digesting their recently devoured meal. The featured artwork elegantly captures the pigeon’s soft plumes, as it sits perched in its natural habitat. Created by John Keulemans, this image was first shown in 1888 in W.L. Buller’s A History of the Birds of New Zealand, second edition, alongside the kākāpō and many other native New Zealand fowl. This print comes in a 350 x 490 mm sizing, surrounded by a charming white border to complement any home décor!

The Kea (2017)

Buller (After Bill Hammond) feat. NZ's native kea

Another championing bird of New Zealand is the kea! As part of the parrot family Nestoridae, the kea (green bird, second from the left) is a large species of parrot native to the South Island of New Zealand. Living in alpine and forested regions of the island, the kea is from the same family as the kaka and is most distinctly recognised for its olive-green plumage and brilliant orange colouring under the wings. The print shown is a Barry Ross Smith artwork from his “island” series of paintings. The title,  "Buller (After Bill Hammond)" references both Buller’s Birds and Bill Hammond. In this painting, the island is home to a variety of native New Zealand birds, including the Tui, Kiwi, Weka, and Kea, alongside the extinct Huia. Any bird lover or collector of New Zealand animal posters would love to add this uniquely NZ artwork to their collection!

The Kōkako (2016)

Kokako Print by NZ Artist Holly Roach

For our fourth winner, we feature the kōkako, champion of the Bird of the Year award for 2016! The wonderful print shown above is a fine example of the kōkako (Callaeas cinerea), which is large, featuring long legs and tail, deep bluish-grey plumage, a black mask, and a short, strongly arched bill. The “Kōkako in Karaka” image depicts NZ Flora and fauna by Holly Roach. The kōkako in this print sits idly in a karaka tree, feasting while surrounded by fat orange berries. Using archival inks for rich, deep colour that lasts, the fine art print is created on a smooth matte paper that’s mid-weight and acid-free. This contemporary print comes in a 420 x 600 mm and is available alongside many other incredible bird posters within our online NZ bird prints gallery.

Buy quality long-lasting prints from New Zealand Fine Prints

We hope you enjoyed this brief tribute to the birds of New Zealand! If you’re interested in seeing more exceptional works from our artists, feel free to explore New Zealand Fine Prints online. Whether you’re looking for incredible prints of New Zealand birds or art nouveau posters, we have a vast range of art prints for you to see. If you have a favourite already, then peruse our collection of artists online to view all their latest works, or search prints by category and find brilliant new artists to love. Each print is deliverable either rolled and kept safe in a tube, framed or occasionally even pre-stretched on a canvas, ready-to-hang upon arrival. Start shopping New Zealand’s greatest prints online today!

Brilliant NZ Native Birds Poster published by Te Papa Press

"Native Birds of New Zealand" Poster | Image Credit: Te Papa Press

When Geoff Norman, author of "Buller's Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Works of JG Keulemans", spotted a framed poster of "Native Birds of New Zealand" at his friend Jock Phillip's place (Jock's a well known NZ historian and editor of "Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand") he realised this could be the poster that Te Papa Press were looking for to accompany the publication of his award winning book.

It was the perfect poster to accompany his book's launch because the birds in the poster are based on the artwork of JG Keulemans, illustrator of Walter Buller's "A History of the Birds of New Zealand".

The Book
Norman's book "Buller's Birds of New Zealand: The Complete Work of JG Keulemans" (already on its second printing and currently available from bookstores and Te Papa Store) included the complete set of 95 artworks from both editions of ‘A History of the Birds of New Zealand’ by Walter Buller and the subsequent supplement. In the book each bird painting is accompanied by extracts from Buller’s original, descriptive text. It also includes up-to-date taxonomic information in English and te reo Māori, as well as background information about Keulemans and the production of these books.

Hand-coloured prints by watercolour artist Keulemans were first published in 1873 in the first edition of Walter Buller’s iconic book, known colloquially as ‘Buller’s Birds’. Aside from a limited edition released in 1986, this new book is the first time that the full set of these prints of native New Zealand birds has been printed in colour since the nineteenth century.

Buller completed the second edition in 1888, containing new plates, this time using chromolithography, an early form of colour printing. Author Geoff Norman came across the original watercolour proofs for this edition and the subsequent supplement by chance while in the UK.

“I was staying near Tring where the Ornithological Branch of the Natural History Museum is based, and was told about their New Zealand cabinets and also that the original watercolours for ‘Buller’s Birds’ were kept there. I realised how special those paintings were, and when I saw them knew that I wanted to republish them together with the hand-coloured first edition plates,” says Geoff.  “Keulemans’ paintings of our birdlife are bright and luminous and clear. They’re masterpieces. We’re presenting them in this new book at the same size and in the same order as they appear in the original books, but modern scanning and printing means that we are able to reproduce the colour and detail in the way they artist originally intended. I think Keulemans would like what we’ve done with his work.”

The Poster
Jock Phillips had bought a framed version of the "Native Birds of New Zealand" poster from a second hand shop. His copy of the poster had been reprinted in the 1990s by a Dunedin printer that was no longer in business.  Originally the poster was produced as a chromolithograph (a coloured print using a tablets of stone as the printing plates). The designer/artist was William Schmidt (1870-1969). He was born in Auckland and did lithographs for The New Zealand Graphic. His father was John Diedrich Schmidt, a German who was one of the founders of the Melbourne Age before he moved to New Zealand where he set up a business as a printer and engraver.

The poster was scanned but was not touched up or "Photoshopped".  Te Papa Press added a light grey border around the poster and extend the light grey text panel at the bottom to include source material and Te Papa Press details. There are 25 native bird species depicted in the poster and they are identified with tiny numbers and a key at the bottom of the poster that also gives the fraction of natural size at which the birds are reproduced.

This publication is a glorious re-discovery of an unusually decorative and well designed early NZ poster.  Te Papa Press's printers have done a wonderful job of re-printing this poster, "Native Birds of New Zealand" is printed on a superb silken paper stock that does not merely reproduce the original chromolithograph, it reincarnates it!  Copies of this poster are on sale here at NZ Fine Prints.