Ellen Rykers

Is it a crab? Is it a spider? It's a crab spider! The common square-ended crab spider (Sidymella angularis) to be precise.  Audio

It has been weeks of twists and turns for the Bird of the Century campaign.

With international attention, a record number of votes, and a delay in announcing the winner as votes were tallied.

… Audio

Every year, tens to hundreds of seabirds fall out of the sky across Auckland city. Disoriented by the bright lights, Cook's petrels crash-land and collide with buildings – but a dedicated group of… Video, Audio

Every autumn, tens to hundreds of young Cook's petrels crash-land across Auckland city, disoriented by the bright city lights. Assistant producer Ellen Rykers joins a volunteer Petrel Patrol searching… Audio

At the Mercy of the Ice by Ellen Rykers: a story of dramatic survival on the Antarctic ice in the summer of 1972. Audio

This week's critter is the bluegill bully (Gobiomorphus hubbsi) - a beautiful native fish that gets its name from the bright blue bands on its gill cover. Bluegill bullies are a threatened species… Audio

Sunfish are the world's largest bony fish species – and yet scientists know little about their lives. This week, Our Changing World meets a sunfish researcher unravelling mola mysteries and dives into… Audio

Sunfish are weird. They don't have a tail, they can grow massive (up to 2.7 tonnes), and we don't know much about their lives. This week, Our Changing World meets a scientist unravelling a mola… Audio

The pīwauwau/rock wren has been named bird of the year.

Nearly 52,000 people voted in the competition.

Spokesperson Ellen Rykers told Morning Report the kororā/little penguin actually got the most… Audio

There is some major controversy in one of the country's biggest elections.

Bird of the Year is back next week but in a contentious decision, the two-time champion kākāpō has been barred from the… Audio

It's fair to say some feathers were ruffled last year when the Pekapeka tou-roa - or Long-Tailed Bat - was crowned Bird of the Year.

Well, it will be a fleeting reign.

Forest and Bird has announced… Audio

The eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai in January triggered a tsunami of unprecedented proportions, impacting the entire Pacific. How did this volcanic eruption lead to a tsunami detected across… Video, Audio

Science communicator Ellen Rykers speaks to scientists about the unprecedented tsunami triggered by the eruption of Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha’apai in January. Audio

Dunedin journalist Ellen Rykers’ ancestors came from England to start a new life on a whaling station on a remote and windswept sub-Antarctic island. Audio, Gallery

Science communications student Ellen Rykers ponders the Polynesians and their journeys around the Pacific, wondering where they might have got to. Audio