Tui and Kiwi. Taupo. New Zealand.
S 38° 41.555 E 176° 04.945
60H E 420201 N 5716937
A pair of the most well-known New Zealand native birds, the Tui and the Kiwi, perch together on an intersection in the Bird Area near the lakefront in Taupo.
Waymark Code: WM4A1Z
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 07/27/2008
Views: 48
The Kiwi bird, of the order Apterygiformes-Ratitae, occurs only in New Zealand. Although primarily a bird of New Zealand’s native forests, kiwis also live in scrub and native grasslands. Because the kiwi is a semi-nocturnal, secretive bird, few New Zealanders have seen their national bird in the wild.
Kiwi.
Tui are common throughout New Zealand in forests, towns and on off-shore islands. They are adaptable and are found not only in native forests, bush reserves and bush remnants but also in suburban areas, particularly in winter if there is a flowering gum about.
These attractive birds can often be heard singing their beautiful melodies long before they are spotted. If you are fortunate to glimpse one you will recognise them by their distinctive white tuft under their throat, which contrasts dramatically with the metallic blue-green sheen to their underlying black colour.
Tui.
Click here to hear the bird song of the Tui and Kiwi.