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google Tommy Tui or his friend Taffy the Clown to read more about their lives and the book they wrote
The Tui is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand. It is one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family.
The name Tui is from the Maori language name tūī and is the species' formal common name. The plural is simply 'Tui', following Māori usage. The English name, Parson Bird, has fallen into disuse but came about because at first glance the Tui 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....
I love these closeups! The unusual conditions in which they were taken have added to their appeal. Tui usually sing from a prominently visible high point. But, for some reason, this bird was deep inside a shrub sitting on a branch almost at ground level. I was only two metres away so I was able to fill the frame with just the bird, but had to point the camera down to get these shots. The thickness of the shrub meant if I got down low I could not see into it. The very low light necessitated a fairly slow shutter and a wide apeture. Further, being deep in the bush, the clear "window" through which I could see the bird through the lens was very small. I was lieterally focusing down a long tunnel of intwined branches. So, not only is there blurring of the background, but blurring all around from out of focus vegetation between me and the bird.
An endemic passerine bird of New Zealand. It is one of the largest members of the diverse honeyeater family. The name Tui is from the Maori language name tūī and is the species' formal common name. The plural is simply 'Tui', following Māori usage. The English name, Parson Bird, has fallen into disuse but came about because at first glance the Tui 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 religious attire.
On closer inspection it can be seen that Tui have faded browner patches 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.
Tui are considered to be very intelligent, much like parrots. They also resemble parrots in their ability to clearly imitate human speech, and are known for their noisy, unusual call, different for each individual, that combine bellbird-like notes with clicks, cackles, timber-like creaks and groans, and wheezing sounds—the unusual possession of two voiceboxes enable Tui to perform such a myriad of vocalisations.Some of the huge range of Tui sounds are beyond the human register. Watching a Tui sing, one can observe gaps in the sound when the beak is agape and throat tufts throbbing. Tui will also Tui sing at night, especially around the full moon period. The yellow deposits on the crest of this Tūī are grains of pollen rubbed off from the flowers on which it has been feeding.Nectar is the normal diet but fruit and insects are frequently eaten, and pollen and seeds more occasionally. Particularly popular is the New Zealand flax, whose nectar sometimes ferments, resulting in the Tui flying in a fashion that suggests that they might be drunk. Tui are the main pollinators of flax, kowhai, kaka beak and some other plants. Note that the flowers of the three plants mentioned are similar in shape to the Tui's beak—a vivid example of mutualistic coevolution.
Male Tui can be extremely aggressive, chasing all other birds (large and small) from their territory with loud flapping and sounds akin to rude human speech. This is especially true of other Tui when possession of a favoured feeding tree is impinged. Birds will often erect their body feathers in order to appear larger in an attempt to intimidate a rival. They have even been known to mob harriers and magpies. The powered flight of Tui is quite loud as they have developed short wide wings, giving excellent manoeuverability in the dense forest they prefer, but requiring rapid flapping. They can be seen to perform a mating display of rising at speed in a vertical climb in clear air, before stalling and dropping into a powered dive, then repeating. Much of this behaviour is more notable during the breeding season of early spring—September and October. Females alone build nests of twigs, grasses and mosses.
TUI flight 2129 on final approach into Frankfurt Airport (FRA) from Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI). Boeing 737-800.
Tui.
Prosthemadera novaseelandiae novaseelandiae
Endimic, common, resident
Songbird, honeyeater, eats nectar, fruit/seeds and insects
Las fotos las hice yo y el montaje de las mismas es de Mon
Quite by accident, because he moved - but I quite like the rear view of this Tui's head, showing the wispy grey/white fine feathers
The Tui Brewery at Mangatainoka, the home to one of my favourie Kiwi beers along with Speights, Speights Dark and anything from Monteiths. On the way up from the Wellingotn Ferry I drove through the Rimutaka Range with its wonderful views, through Carteron for a bit of lunch (McDonalds!) and through the Eketahuna where I sent a postcard to my friends who were former residents! I then drove through the Manawatu Gorge with its Wind turbines giving a spectacular backdrop for my drive.