The story of titipounamu, New Zealand's smallest bird, on Otago Peninsula, told by Karthic SS, a wildlife film maker and podcast producer based in Dunedin.

From the bustling hot city of Coimbatore in southern India to the rather less bustling, and definitely cooler, south of Te Wai Pounamu in Aotearoa, Karthic SS* has spent most of his life paying close attention to the sounds around him.

Follow Our Changing World on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRADIO, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Now based in Ōtepoti, Karthic produces the Tune into Nature podcast, telling stories of New Zealand wildlife and conservation, and encouraging his audience to listen to the sounds of the natural world around them.

In India, that included the odd interaction with elephants. But in Aotearoa it often means birds. Lots of birds.

This week, we play an episode of the Tune into Nature podcast about titipounamu (rifleman) on the Otago Peninsula.

Weighing just 6 grams, the titipounamu is New Zealand's smallest bird.

The Otago Peninsula Biodiversity Group have been taking care of the pairs that live on the Peninsula, including setting up nest boxes for them.

Though one pair famously declined these in favour of nesting in a possum trap!

Join Karthic, Shanta McPherson and Marcia Dale on a forest walk to learn more about titipounamu.

The Tune into Nature podcast is created by Karthic SS. It is supported by Otago Access Radio and the Centre for Science Communication, with funding support from the Otago Regional Council's Ecofund. You can find it on Facebook, Instagram, and on your regular podcast provider. The podcast Karthic created as part of his studies, mentioned in this episode, can be found here.

*Where Karthic comes from it is usual not to use family names - instead the first name followed by the initials of father's or mother's name is used.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details