Tui

Tui (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) are endemic honeyeaters and are common throughout NZ forests and on off-shore islands.

Tui are attractive birds, especially as the white tuft at the throat and a small white area on their wings, contrasts dramatically with their black colour, enhanced by a metallic blue-green sheen.

		Tui feed on the nectar and fruit of native plants, such as kowhai, puriri, rewarewa, kahikatea, pohutukawa, rata and flax. They also eat insects. Tui are important pollinators of many native trees and will fly vast distances, especially during winter for their favourite foods. Introduced plants like eucalypts and banksias are frequented often by tui when they are flowering.
Tui

Courting takes place between September and October when tui sing high up in the trees in the early morning and late afternoon. Only females build nests, which are heavily constructed with twigs, fine grasses and moss.

Tui will defend themselves against Magpies and will even "mob" harrier hawks. The oldest recorded Tui was over 12 years old.

Tui in the Sanctuary

With the removal of predators and possums, tui numbers in the Karori Wildlife Sanctuary have increased dramatically from very low numbers, and have begun to repopulate the city suburbs.

Tui fervour breaks out in the Sanctuary each May when tui from surrounding suburbs congregate to feed on the fruit of the exotic strawberry dogwood trees by the Upper Dam. These trees will, in time, need to be removed because they are spreading within the valley.