Andrew:Tui

   

A relative of the bell bird, this songbird can be very noisy. Unlike the bell bird though, these birds have a much greater variability in their voice. it is usually the first bird to sing in the morning.

They moult after breeding during the summer.

They are very common in native forests but they avoid pure beech forest. It also lives in suburban gardens as long as their native forest is near. They have a very colourful breast and will fly considerable distance for a concentrated food source.

Their main diet is nectar, but fruit and insects are also common.

Fun fact: It can perfectly mimic a bell bird`s song and some can mimic other birds.

Fun fact 2: their scientific name is prosthemadera novaeseelandiae 

We are staying in Oban. We saw it while we were walking back with chips when mum heard this very noisy bird only two houses away from our house. I took this photo of it. (top)

We saw it in a tree nearby as well but it was hard to see as the sun was not fully up. It has a red eye and made a lot of high notes that I would have trouble reaching.

So that is a Tui for you.