The pukeko, kaka and red-billed gulls are the native birds most likely to cause problems in our cities in the future, according to research from Victoria University.
The study from the university's Centre for Biodiversity and Restoration Ecology found that species with wide-ranging diets are likely to cause conflict with humans in urban areas.
Researcher Dr Wayne Linklater says birds with broad eating habits take advantage of the wide variety of food in cities, and the growth of their populations will increase problems such as noise, fouling, and nesting.
He says although native birds are not traditionally a problem in our cities, because most of them live in forests or by the sea, the success of nature restoration projects in urban areas could lead to more birds re-colonising cities.
Another researcher, Kerry Charles, says there have already been problems with kaka in Wellington.
"That's mainly based on the fact that they feed on sap, so what they do is they strip the bark of trees, and that causes damage to trees obviously, you can actually have branches falling off or potentially trees dying."
