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Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds



I was fortunate in seeing, in the waters around Stewart Island,

the equally beautiful Blue Shag (S. steadi) a bird which was

almost exterminated years ago but has since gained ground.



The Yellow-breasted Tit (Petroica macrocephala)


This charming species is the Southern representative of the

White-breasted Tit, and is much more beautiful than the Northern

species, having the whole of the breast a delicate sulphur yellow.

It seems to me even more friendly than the white-breasted species

and can always be found where there are extensive patches of

native forest.


I first made the acquaintance of this bird at Mount Cook, many

thousands of feet above sea-level. It must be very hardy to

withstand the rigours of the very severe winters for it can hardly

migrate to lower levels as the only other forest patches which

have been left unburnt are either on high snow-capped peaks or

many hundreds of miles further south.


It is a strange thing that nearly all the New Zealand birds

belong to families found mainly in the tropics and yet the New

Zealand representatives are oftimes found where weather

conditions, especially in the winter, are extremely severe. But

there is little doubt that the birds feed to a great extent on insects

which are in a state of torpor and which lie hidden during the

winter months in rolled-up leaves, behind the bark of trees, and

in any small crevices in the trees.


The genus Petroica to which this bird and its congener belong

is much more closely allied to the New Zealand Robins than to

the true tits, in fact these so-called tits very closely resemble

the Robins in demeanour except that they are more arboreal.


They are tame and friendly, and one has only to imitate their

note and in a few minutes a couple are sure to come to within

a few feet. The male is always more in evidence than his sombrely

coloured mate. After he has paused to satisfy his curiosity he

passes on, diligently searching every nook and cranny for small

insects upon which this species entirely feed. This bird has never



