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Tui – February

The boisterous tui are the largest and best known of New Zealand’s honeyeaters. They have distinctive white throat tufts, whirring flight sounds, and tuneful melodies intermixed with coughs, groans and rasps. They are widespread across New Zealand, and often seen in flax bushes, feeding on the nectar of the flowers.

They play an important role in pollinating flowers of not only the flax, but trees such as the mistletoe, puriri and pohutukawa, as well as dispersing podocarp seeds. When nectar is unavailable, their diet also consists of the fruits of native trees, and is supplemented by insects in the breeding season.

Tui are territorial birds, and will defend their feeding and breeding territories – energetically chasing other birds away. In breeding season, 2-4 eggs are laid, and cared for mainly by the female, with males only help to feed the chicks once they are older.

You can always have a tui in your garden with a Blazen.Metal tui bang’n bird – choose from traditional, koru or pohutukawa inlay. 25% off for the month of February.

Bibliography

Dawson, J., & Lucas, R. (2000). Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest. Auckland: Random House.

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

Robertson, H.A. 2013. Tui. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz

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Fantail – January

The fantail or piwakawaka is a much-loved bird, as they frequent gardens across the country, flitting about with their large fan-like tails. The ‘flitting’ of the fantail is related to a hunting tactic called hawking, where insects are caught on the wing. Fantails use their tail to stop in mid-air and then dart in a different direction. This means fantails often come across as friendly, however they are generally just feeding on insects we have disturbed.

During mating season, they form territorial pairs, but can be seen in flocks in the winter months, catching insects together.

The most common fantail is the pied fantail with a cinnamon breast and belly, and a brown back, however the fantail also comes in a black colour morph. Black fantails are rare in the North Island, and make up less than 5% of the South Island population.

Fantails are good at utilizing a wide range of habitats, hence their widespread and common nature.

You can always have a fantail in your garden with a Blazen.Metal fantail bang’n bird – choose from fanned or perching, both available in traditional, koru or insect inlay. 25% off for the month of January.

Bibliography

Dawson, J., & Lucas, R. (2000). Nature Guide to the New Zealand Forest. Auckland: Random House.

Moon, G. (2002). A Photographic Guide to Birds of New Zealand. Auckland: New Holland Publishers.

Powlesland, R.G. 2013 [updated 2017]. New Zealand fantail. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Onlinewww.nzbirdsonline.org.nz