Tui : Feeding . . .
A New Zealand icon, the tui is loved for its singing voice and unique plumage. At first glance the bird appears completely black except for a small tuft of white feathers at its neck and a small white wing patch, causing it to resemble a parson in clerical attire. On closer inspection it can be seen that tui have brown feathers on the back and flanks, a multicoloured iridescent sheen that varies with the angle from which the light strikes them, and a dusting of small, white-shafted feathers on the back and sides of the neck that produce a lacy collar. The name tui is from the Māori name tūī and is the species formal common name. It is only found in New Zealand.
This bird came to feed on the nectar of the New Zealand flax outside the Apartment we were staying in Franz Josef, South Island.
Tui : Feeding . . .
A New Zealand icon, the tui is loved for its singing voice and unique plumage. At first glance the bird appears completely black except for a small tuft of white feathers at its neck and a small white wing patch, causing it to resemble a parson in clerical attire. On closer inspection it can be seen that tui have brown feathers on the back and flanks, a multicoloured iridescent sheen that varies with the angle from which the light strikes them, and a dusting of small, white-shafted feathers on the back and sides of the neck that produce a lacy collar. The name tui is from the Māori name tūī and is the species formal common name. It is only found in New Zealand.
This bird came to feed on the nectar of the New Zealand flax outside the Apartment we were staying in Franz Josef, South Island.