The “Parson Bird”

Press, 19 October 1976, Page 12

The “Parson Bird”

If you are lucky enough to have a kowhai tree growing near your home, you will probably see a tui feeding this month on the nectar from the flowers. For the tui is a honey-eating . bird, although he eats insects and berries, too. He sips nectar from many different sorts of flowers during spring and summer, and has a long tongue to help him extract the nectar. His tongue, which is covered with fine hairs, is divided into four parts which work rather like chopsticks. In the sunlight his feathers show shining green colours, and blue, violet, and bronze as well. Notice his collar Of white feathers which curl down his neck and the double tuft of curly white ones round his throat. Early settlers used to call the tui “Parson Bird” because they were reminded of the stiff white collars worn by clergymen or parsons. Perhaps, too, the tui does look as if he preaches sermons in the bush, for he has a habit of shaking his head from side to side, as if correcting other birds, and as he sings he utters odd clicks and gurgles, and then sings again. It could seem that he is trying to rouse

the bush- dwellers from their wicked ways. His song, though he does interrupt it with amusing wheezes and rattles, is most beautiful. He sings clearly and joyfully like a bell, and makes sweet warbles. He puffs out his feathers, opens his mottth wide, and fills the bush with lovely music. His voice covers a wide range of notes and some of them are beyond human "hearing. The tui mimics, too. It is fun to hear him imitate a grunting pig or a shepherd whistling for his dog. And he may surprise you by copying the voices of other birds. His flight is strong and fast, and he hurtles noisily through the forest, whooshing loudly. Sometimes he flies high and then, with closed wings, dives down to earth. He often does this in the mating season, making loops and rolls. After mating, tuis defend their nests bravely against intruders. Indeed, they are aggressive and will, on occasion, drive away other birds from their food supplies. Tuis are bush birds but they also visit gardens. Deep in the forests they feed and sing, and as they fly from flower to flower they distribute pollen and help new trees and plants to grow.