Oracle reference — by group | Aotearoa Bird Oracle

1. Ngā Manu Aronga

7 cards

Focus, Direction, and Intentional Movement

These birds reflect attention and choice. They indicate where energy is being directed and how movement is being shaped through intention, awareness, and deliberate action.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	1	Kea (New Zealand Alpine Parrot)	Navigator	The Fool	Empty
2	11	Hua o te Hurihanga (Turning Egg)	—	Wheel of Fortune	Empty
3	23	Pīpīwharauroa (Shining Cuckoo)	—	Ace of Wands	Empty
4	26	Tōrea pango (Variable Oystercatcher)	—	Four of Wands	Empty
5	28	Manu pīpīwaiwaka (Magpie)	—	Six of Wands	Empty
6	32	Kāhu (Swamp Harrier)	—	Ten of Wands	Empty
7	55	Kawau pakapaka (Little Shag)	—	Five of Swords	Empty

2. Ngā Manu o te Ngāhere

16 cards

Voice, Expression, and Relationship

Forest birds reflect communication, interaction, and the exchange of energy between individuals and environments. They reveal how something is being expressed, heard, or responded to within a living system.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	2	Korimako (Bellbird)	Navigator	The Magician	Empty
2	4	Hua o te Ngāhere (Forest Egg)	—	The Empress	Empty
3	7	Pōpokotea (Whitehead)	—	The Lovers	Empty
4	20	Kererū (New Zealand Wood Pigeon)	—	The Sun	Empty
5	35	Kākā (New Zealand Parrot)	—	Queen of Wands	Empty
6	37	Kākāriki (Parakeet)	—	Ace of Cups	Empty
7	38	Miromiro (Tomtit)	—	Two of Cups	Empty
8	39	Mohua (Yellowhead)	—	Three of Cups	Empty
9	43	Pīwakawaka (Fantail)	—	Seven of Cups	Empty
10	48	Kōauau (Long-tailed Cuckoo)	—	Knight of Cups	Empty
11	49	Tūī (Tui)	—	Queen of Cups	Empty
12	53	Kakaruwai (South Island Robin)	—	Three of Swords	Empty
13	62	Kākāriki karaka (Orange-fronted Parakeet)	—	Knight of Swords	Empty
14	64	Toutouwai (North Island Robin)	—	King of Swords	Empty
15	72	Titipounamu (Rifleman)	—	Eight of Pentacles	Empty
16	73	Piwauwau (Rock Wren)	—	Nine of Pentacles	Empty

3. Ngā Manu Tapu

11 cards

Sacred Presence and Alignment

These birds signal rare alignment, stillness, and moments of heightened awareness. Their appearance carries weight, indicating that what is unfolding holds deeper significance and should be approached with clarity and respect.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	3	Kōtuku (White Heron)	Navigator	The High Priestess	Draft
2	19	Hua o te Pō (Egg of Night)	—	The Moon	Empty
3	16	Kawau (Shag)	—	The Devil	Empty
4	24	Tōrea (Oystercatcher)	—	Two of Wands	Empty
5	34	Hōkioi (Haast's Eagle (mythic))	—	Knight of Wands	Empty
6	36	Kārearea (New Zealand Falcon)	—	King of Wands	Empty
7	44	Kōtare (Sacred Kingfisher)	—	Eight of Cups	Empty
8	51	Ruru (Morepork Owl)	—	Ace of Swords	Empty
9	56	Matuku-hūrepo (Bittern)	—	Six of Swords	Empty
10	57	Kiwi	—	Seven of Swords	Empty
11	63	Kōtuku ngutupapa (Royal Spoonbill)	—	Queen of Swords	Empty

4. Ngā Manu o te Ao Tūroa

9 cards

Continuity, Rhythm, and the Unseen Pattern

These birds move through the everyday world, often unnoticed. They represent the underlying patterns that sustain life — repetition, rhythm, and the quiet consistency that shapes outcomes over time.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	9	Riroriro (Grey Warbler)	Navigator	Strength	Empty
2	5	Hua o te Ao Tūroa (Earth Egg)	—	The Emperor	Empty
3	52	Pīhoihoi (New Zealand Pipit)	—	Two of Swords	Empty
4	58	Manu mā (Song Thrush)	—	Eight of Swords	Empty
5	65	Tauhou (Silvereye)	—	Ace of Pentacles	Empty
6	66	Tioriori (Sparrow)	—	Two of Pentacles	Empty
7	67	Matā (Starling)	—	Three of Pentacles	Empty
8	68	Manu pango (Blackbird)	—	Four of Pentacles	Empty
9	74	Weka	—	Ten of Pentacles	Empty

5. Ngā Manu Onamata

10 cards

Legacy, Ancestral Continuity, and What Remains

These birds hold connection to what has come before. They carry memory, lineage, and enduring influence — not as something past, but as something still present and shaping the current moment.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	14	Huia (extinct)	Navigator	Death	Empty
2	6	Hua o te Mahara (Memory Egg)	—	The Hierophant	Empty
3	12	Takahē (South Island Takahē)	—	Justice	Empty
4	17	Moa (extinct)	—	The Tower	Empty
5	40	Whēkau (Laughing Owl (extinct))	—	Four of Cups	Empty
6	41	Hihi (Stitchbird)	—	Five of Cups	Empty
7	45	Kākāpō (Flightless Parrot)	—	Nine of Cups	Empty
8	59	Piopio (Native Thrush (extinct))	—	Nine of Swords	Empty
9	60	Mātātā onamata (Bush Wren (extinct))	—	Ten of Swords	Empty
10	71	Tīeke (Saddleback)	—	Seven of Pentacles	Empty

6. Ngā Manu Moana

9 cards

Endurance, Distance, and Long Cycles

Ocean birds carry the energy of vast movement and sustained effort. They reflect commitment, long-term processes, and the ability to remain steady across extended periods of time.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	10	Toroa (Royal Albatross)	Navigator	The Hermit	Empty
2	18	Hua o te Moana (Ocean Egg)	—	The Star	Empty
3	8	Kuaka-taheke (Bar-tailed Godwit (migratory))	—	The Chariot	Empty
4	25	Tākapu (Gannet)	—	Three of Wands	Empty
5	27	Tarānui (Black-backed Gull)	—	Five of Wands	Empty
6	30	Tītī (Sooty Shearwater)	—	Eight of Wands	Empty
7	31	Tarāpuka (Red-billed Gull)	—	Nine of Wands	Empty
8	33	Kororā (Little Penguin)	—	Page of Wands	Empty
9	78	New Zealand Grebe	—	King of Pentacles	Empty

7. Ngā Manu o te Wai

11 cards

Boundary, Tension, and Adaptation

These birds move at the edge of water and land, holding the space where conditions shift. They speak to boundaries, emotional pressure, and the need to navigate change with awareness and responsiveness.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	15	Mātātā (Fernbird)	Navigator	Temperance	Empty
2	13	Hua o te Wai (Water Egg)	—	The Hanged Man	Empty
3	29	Kuaka (Godwit (inland))	—	Seven of Wands	Empty
4	42	Whio (Blue Duck)	—	Six of Cups	Empty
5	46	Pūtangitangi (Paradise Shelduck)	—	Ten of Cups	Empty
6	47	Pāteke (Brown Teal)	—	Page of Cups	Empty
7	54	Pāpango (Scaup)	—	Four of Swords	Empty
8	61	Tūturiwhatu (Dotterel)	—	Page of Swords	Empty
9	69	Pūkeko (Swamphen)	—	Five of Pentacles	Empty
10	70	Weweia (New Zealand Dabchick)	—	Six of Pentacles	Empty
11	76	Tētē (Grey Teal)	—	Knight of Pentacles	Empty

8. Ngā Manu o te Kore

5 cards

Emergence, Pattern, and the Unseen Field

These birds sit at the threshold of emergence. They reveal what is forming before it becomes visible, pointing to underlying patterns and influences shaping what is coming into being.

Pos	#	Bird	Role	Primary tarot	Status
1	21	Te Manu Kore (The Unseen Bird)	Navigator	Judgement	Empty
2	22	Hua o te Korekite (Completion Egg)	—	The World	Empty
3	50	Marakite (Seer Archetype)	—	King of Cups	Empty
4	75	Manu aute (Messenger Kite)	—	Page of Pentacles	Empty
5	77	Kaitirotiro (Watcher Archetype)	—	Queen of Pentacles	Empty