Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) are endemic — native and unique — to New Zealand. The name Tui is derived from the Maori language, with the plural being simply tui.
Tui have a reputation for being raucous and noisy as well as having a very unusual and distinctive call. They look black from a distance, but in good light tui have a blue, green and bronze iridescent sheen, and distinctive white throat tufts (poi). They are usually very vocal, with a complicated mix of tuneful notes interspersed with coughs, grunts and wheezes — some notes are so high they are not audible to the human ear. Possessing two voice boxes means the tui can perform a wide array of vocalisations and have been known to mimic human speech.
In flight, their bodies slant with the head higher than the tail, and their noisy whirring flight is interspersed with short glides. Male tui can be very aggressive and will chase other birds including the much larger native wood pigeon (kereru), bellbirds, stitchbirds, other tui and silver-eyes.
DIET AND ECOLOGY
Tui belong to the honey eater family. A tui's diet is mostly made up of nectar and fruit in the summer months, and insects in winter. Tui contribute a valuable role in the pollination of many native plants and trees.
BREEDING
Breeding takes place between September and October, with the breeding season running from November to January and the laying of three to four eggs. Tui are often seen on their own, in pairs or small groups. Large numbers will congregate around plentiful food.
HISTORY
Europeans who first colonised New Zealand called it the Parson Bird due to the tufts of white feathers on its neck that resembled a parson's clerical collar. From the time of European settlement tui numbers decreased mainly due to the destruction of their habitat. However, tui are a protected species in New Zealand and their numbers have recently recovered — they are now considered secure.
Today the main threats to the eggs and young of tui are other birds such as mynas and hawks, possums, feral cats, rats and stoats.