Tūī

Commonly seen in every bay, feeding on flax, pōhutukawa and garden flowers.

Story

Tūī numbers rose on Kawau as possum control took hold in the 1990s. Today, locals say you can hear them around every bay and cove on the island.

Behaviour

Aggressive honeyeaters that will defend a flowering tree against every other bird. Their song mixes bell notes with coughs, clicks and wheezes, and they can mimic bellbirds and even phone ringtones.

There’s more about this bird on Kawau in the island’s history.