A Quiz for Bird Lovers

Forest and Bird, Issue 139, 1 February 1961, Page 17

A Quiz for Bird Lovers

The answers are at the bottom of the page. Do not look at them until you have tried to answer all the questions.

PART I—FOR THE TINIES:

1. What bird has a white tuft on its throat ? 2. Can a weka fly? 3. Is the starling a New Zealand native bird? 4. Do seagulls build their nests in trees ? 5. What is the smallest New Zealand native bird ?

PART lI—FOR THE OLDER CHILDREN:

6. Which of the following birds are natives of New Zealand? Bellbird, shining cuckoo, sparrow, whitehead, blackbird, tui, weka. 7. What are the most usual Maori names of the following birds ? Silvereye, rifleman, morepork.

The above quiz was sent in quite a while ago by Sylvia Carter and Jocelyn Young, both 14. Would anyone else like to send one in—on birds or trees?

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ ABOVE

Part I.

1. The tui. 2. No. 3. No. 4. No. 5. The rifleman.

Part 11.

6. Bellbird, shining cuckoo, whitehead, tui, weka. 7. Tauhou, titipounamu, ruru. : 8. Grey warbler, paradise duck, N.Z. wood pigeon. 9. Female. 10. (a) False. (b) False (the offspring are pure pied or pure black, sometimes both in one brood). .. . (c) True (an indigenous bird is one native to the country but also native to other coun- . . tries, and an endemic bird is one which is found only in one country).

8. What are the English names of the following birds ? Riroriro, putangitangi, kereru. 9. Does the male or female huia have a curved beak ? 10. Which of the following statements are true and • which are false ? (a) The pukeko is only a spring visitor to New Zealand. (b) When a pied fantail mates with a black fantail the offspring are a hybrid or mixture between the two species. (c) The silvereye is indigenous to New Zealand, and the tui is endemic to New Zealand.