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Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds



The bird, which is similar in shape to a Blackbird though con¬

siderably larger, is metallic blue-black in colour, bronzy on the back

and metallic blue on the wings and tail. On the back of the neck is

a broad collar of hackle-shaped feathers and on the throat are two

very striking plumes of white curled feathers which resemble little

white balls similar to those used by the Maoris in their Poi-dance hence

the name “ Poi-bird.”


The Tui is most pugnacious and blustering in its demeanour. It

passes through the forests with a great deal of noise but with incredible

swiftness. It reminds me of a man, who, full of his own importance,

bustles about with a great deal of noise but who really does nothing at

all. Very few other birds dare stand up to a Tui and when they are

very much in evidence most other birds except the Bellbirds keep out

of the road.


Had not the Tui been given the protection of the Law, it would have

vanished long ago, for it was esteemed by the European and Maori

alike, by the former for pies and the latter for potting down

for winter use.


The food of the Tui consists mainly of the nectar of flowers, small

insects and berries, and when not engaged in sucking the honey

from the flowers with their long forked tongues, they can be seen

searching for insects in the bunches of leaves at the end of the

branches.


When the beautiful yellow kowhais are in bloom, one can be almost

sure of seeing several of these birds extracting the nectar from the

brilliant golden blossoms. These trees are a very great attraction and

the birds will often come miles to visit them, often forsaking the forests

and coming close to human habitations.


The Tui often mimics various other birds’ songs and also noises, in

fact it has the reputation of being able to imitate the human voice,

but this I very much doubt. Many times I have tracked down a new

bird as I thought by its song, only to find that it was a Tui. When on

Little Barrier Island, we were puzzled by a mysterious bird which

used to sing after dark, in a tree near our camp. Its song was totally

unlike any other we had heard. It remained a mystery until after

careful watching we found it to be a Tui.



