Size: Male 32cm, female 29cm.
Status: Common.
Range: Throughout main islands and many off-shore and outlying islands.
Habitat: Native forest, particularly podocarp and broadleaf, and exotic vegetation adjacent to native forest.
Food: Nectar, fruit and insects.
Voice: Song resembles bellbird’s but is stronger and more resonant. Alarm call is a harsh, repeated “keer-keer”.
Breeding: November-January. Three to four eggs, white or pale pink with reddish brown specks or blotches.
General: A subspecies on the Chatham Islands is slightly larger. The tui is easy to attract into your garden, provided you have enough surrounding trees. In Auckland we planted a kowhai tree and some native flax specially to attract tuis and there was nearly always one sitting on top of the liquidamber while I was hanging out my washing. In June (which is winter time in New Zealand) when the flowering pink gum was in bloom they would hang upside down in its branches digging into the flowers for their nectar. Unfortunately we don’t have enough trees around our present property, even though we have several clumps of flax. Fully protected.