The Kiwi Birdlife Park morepork enclosure is undergoing an upgrade to bring the shy bird into view for to visitors.
Like most owls, moreporks do not like to stand out and are most comfortable standing on the back benches - preferably in the dark.
The park has two of these nocturnal creatures and wildlife manager Nicole Kunzmann said the enclosure where they sit needed an upgrade to bring the birds into sight. So a pathway and shelter has been designed to keep out the glare and encourage the two breeding birds, Puahu and Huaki, to come forward and be seen.
Miss Kunzmann said the park hoped to start its breeding programme with the two moreporks this year.
There have been two sets of eggs from the owls previously but nothing came of them because the birds were young at the time.
The advantage to the breeding programme of the upgrade is that when more eggs arrive the park will be able to house any offspring and make it easier to access their young.
Next year, panels with coloured images and information about raptors (the type of bird) will be put up in front of the enclosure.
Queenstown's Rydges resort is funding about half the upgrade, which is expected to be done over two years.
