in late Sept–late March, with first clutch laid in last mm shorter, p9 20–23, p8 8–11, p7 2–3, p4 0–3, p3 week of Sept. On Breaksea and Motuara Islands, 3–6, p2 5–8, p1 8–10.239 first eggs laid in second and third weeks of Oct, respectively; most nests with eggs or nestlings TAXONOMIC NOTES between third week of Oct and first week of Jan. Māori name The name Tīeke is onomatopoeic. On Motuara and Ulva Islands, most nests in natural Another name, Tīeke rere, comes from the bird’s cavities (54% and 80%, respectively); on Breaksea cry when alarmed. English name The English name Island, 67% of nests were in flax Phormium( ). Sites describes the distinctive, saddle-shaped, reddish- generally in understorey or subcanopy. Cup-shaped chestnut patch across the back, and includes a nest, only slightly larger than bird. Female lays 1 or 2 geographic indicator. Scientific name and taxonomy (generally 2) oval, white or pale beige eggs marked The specific name was given by Johann Gmelin with brown or purplish-brown spots and blotches in 178938 and is a direct Latinisation of the name (rarely streaks or lines; more at large end). Only used by Latham in his 1785 General Synopsis:64 437 female incubates (average: 20 days) and broods, ‘Wattled stare’. Stare is Old English for ‘starling’. but both parents feed chicks; fledgling period 25–27 The North Island species is sometimes considered days.239 a subspecies of the South Island taxon. However, the North Island taxon has proportionally shorter BIOMETRICS legs and wings, the narrow yellow line between the TL 25 cm; W ♂ 99.4 mm, ♀ 97.3 mm; TA ♂ 40.6 saddle and nape, and juveniles are more similar to mm, ♀ 37.5 mm; WGT ♂ 85 g, ♀ 75 g; Wing adults. There are also differences in calls and forag- Formulae: 10 primaries, p5&6 longest. P10 35–42 ing behaviour.

The Stitchbirds family Notiomystidae

Until recently, Stitchbirds were thought to be a basal honeyeater. However, DNA analysis has shown conclusively that this ancient Gondwanan species has no close relatives and in fact belongs in its own family.275 Accordingly, Stitchbirds have recently been placed in their own endemic family, the Notiomystidae.276 The family and sole genus name was coined by George R. Gray in his 1846 Genera of Birds71 and comes from a combination of the Ancient Greek words νότιος, meaning ‘southern’, and μύστης, ‘mystery’. The name was first used as a family-level name by Amy Driskell and colleagues in 2007.276

The female, however, is a dull brown and off-white. Stitchbird Notiomystis cincta Both sexes have remarkable white plumes around Hīhī the ears which can be erected when agitated or Hihi displaying. The species is now, naturally, only found Threatened on Hauturu/Little Barrier Island. Recent transfers to various mainland and offshore island sites have resulted in no other self-sustaining populations. An attractive black, brown and off-white honeyeater-like bird that is strongly sexually dimor- IDENTIFICATION phic. The back and head of the male are black, as Medium-sized, rather plump with a short, slender, is the centre of the tail, and there is a yellow breast gently decurved bill and rather short tail, often held band and yellow streaking on the wings and back. cocked. Sexes differ markedly in adult and immature similar to adult to similar extremely similar to to similar extremely Immature male Immature Immature female Immature TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND, HAURAKI GULF; 20 SEPT 2010. GULF; HAURAKI ISLAND, TIRITIRI MATANGI TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND, HAURAKI GULF; 20 SEPT 2010. GULF; HAURAKI ISLAND, TIRITIRI MATANGI An adult male displaying. Note the rictal bristles about the the rictal bristles Note An adult male displaying. An adult female. Note the wing edges to the primaries to the wing edges Note An adult female. narrow, olive-yellow edges but these may be lost be may these but edges olive-yellow narrow, wear. with field. the in separable doubtfully and female adult grey-brown to dull buff), duller orange-brown patch patch buff),dull orange-brown duller to grey-brown coverts secondary of fringes pale wing; folded on feathers flight of edges pale yellow-brown, duller in than (duller grey-black Bill grey-brown. duller at orange brownish or yellow dirty becoming adults), orange-yellow or yellow gape base; mandible lower swollen. appears and With hand. the in except distinguish to difficult male; feathers, flight juvenile retained views, excellent (greater seen be may alula and coverts primary black deep not brown, dull alula and coverts primary distinct, have also feathers Immature’s adults). in as  gape.  female from separation allow that coverts greater and white Bellbird.

Adult female Adult TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND, HAURAKI HAURAKI ISLAND, TIRITIRI MATANGI slightly larger than female, than female, slightly larger Adult male Adult similar to adult female but slightly duller slightly but female adult to similar

An adult male in song. Note grey and beige, moulted belly. belly. moulted and beige, grey An adult male in song. Note An adult male displaying, showing the distinctive cocked cocked the distinctive showing An adult male displaying,

and browner, with more uniform underparts (dark underparts (dark uniform more with browner, and of head and neck dark brownish olive; underparts olive; brownish dark neck and head of darker; diffusely streaked and grey brownish paler male. in than smaller but tuftsear white present Juvenile mostly pale brownish grey, diffusely streaked darker; darker; streaked diffusely grey, brownish pale mostly shorttufts white coverts. ear near upperparts,male: than plainer and duller much sides with no seasonal variation. Head, neck, mantle and mantle neck, Head, variation. seasonal no with yellow golden a by bordered black, velvety breast underparts shoulders; and breast lower across band plumages but juveniles are alike. All adults with adults All alike. are juveniles but plumages rictal Bill, wing. folded on patch white prominent above, grey dark legs and feet black; iris and bristles pinkish below. tail and white ear ornamentation. tail and white 21 SEPT 2010. GULF;  21 SEPT 2010. GULF; HAURAKI ISLAND, TIRITIRI MATANGI  THE SONGBIRDS 438 THE STITCHBIRDS 439 -

♂

TA must have have must Metrosideros Metrosideros 277 91–97 mm; 91–97 ♀ Nest nearly always built Nest nearly always 201 Only female incubates the incubates Only female ) or pohutukawa ( ) or pohutukawa 9, 10 9, assumed that Yate that assumed 10 268 98–117 mm, 98–117 ♂ W Vitex lucens Vitex ), between 1–18 m above ground, but com ground, m above 1–18 ), between 18 cm; BIOMETRICS TL Matangi Island). Nest a platform of sticks, often of sticks, Matangi Island). Nest a platform rhizomes with a cup of fern topped cm deep, 15–20 and lined with scales from bound with spider webs and feathers. ferns tree or white 3–5 pure lays female clutch, Per female. by and clouded with eggs, thickly spotted yellow-white pale rufous-brown. and altricial, nidicolous Chicks days. 13–19 eggs, for until fledging, at c. 28–34 both parents by fed are fledglings, feed to continue old. Both parents days lays independent or until female are until they 2 (rarely Sept and March, Between another clutch. laid. 3) clutches excelsa use nest boxes readily monly at about 6 m. Birds Tiritiri lacking (e.g. are cavities natural where BREEDING BIOLOGY most frequently nesting in hollows, Mostly recorded in puriri ( Great Barrier Island (Aotea) and Kapiti Island. Now, and Kapiti Island. Now, Barrier Island (Aotea) Great only on Little Barrier Island. In recent found naturally and offshore mainland various to transferred years, supplementary receive they (where island sites but no with nest boxes) provided and are feeding been thus far populations have other self-sustaining established. disputed. Oliver disputed. Islands of the Bay species in the encountered this is not 1835 but based) prior to was Yate (where the North Island a travelled true as Yate necessarily it elsewhere. encountered have and may deal great 1885, by decline after 1870; a rapid Underwent North the southern Island, from had disappeared

- Stitch is titch or TIRITIRI MATANGI ISLAND, ISLAND, TIRITIRI MATANGI stitch calls. to the North Island and offshore islands the North to Island and offshore yeng the hand, retained juvenile flight feathers, primary feathers, flight juvenile retained hand, the An immature male showing shorter, white ear white shorter, male showing An immature 1870s, although historic presence in Northland presence although historic 1870s, DISTRIBUTION Endemic until widespread it was suggests evidence where looking ready to leap into the air – and plumpness all the air – and plumpness leap into to looking ready or in poor light. useful in identifying silhouette call also diagnostic. Bellbirds by combination of white wing panel and wing panel and of white combination by Bellbirds habit Stitchbird’s stripe. moustachial pale of absence – always posture its tail, its distinctive of cocking Slightly larger, plumper and finer-billed than similar and finer-billed plumper Slightly larger, it which (with but much smaller than Tui Bellbird, mistake, to Males hard be confused). to is unlikely female from separable and immatures but females pitched pitched SIMILAR SPECIES FROM SEPARATION common, given either singly or in series, accelerat given common, be and may agitated, more becomes ing as bird alarm call, which is a series of high- by succeeded Calls are extremely varied and generally high- and generally varied extremely Calls are when intervals call at regular Both sexes pitched. call Most distinctive foraging. coverts and alula are duller and browner, with dull with browner, and duller are alula and coverts edges. olive-yellow VOCALISATIONS HAURAKI GULF; 21 SEPT 2010. GULF; HAURAKI In ornamentation, a dull brown, juvenile alula and pointed alula and pointed juvenile ornamentation, a dull brown, also the extended Note tail feathers. juvenile (not rounded) that made early scientists believe tongue honeyeater-like a honeyeater. actually this species was  -

282 . -

(meaning Pogonornis English name English name coined the coined Synopsis Faunae Faunae Synopsis 283 νοτις It is unclear where It is unclear where states ‘The French French ‘The states means ‘beard’ and means ‘beard’ , Gray, head of the orni head , Gray, 62 after the island’s Māori after the island’s and comes from the Latin from and comes 284 (‘a mystery’), referring to to referring mystery’), (‘a πώγων 282 Meliphaga from the Greek the Greek from hautura μύστίς to erect a new genus, genus, a new erect to and thus Gray’s name was not name was and thus Gray’s 260 (‘banded’) referring to male’s yellow band yellow male’s to (‘banded’) referring Notiomystis Meliphaga means ‘bird’). However, Gray was not aware not aware was Gray However, means ‘bird’). was coined by Du Bus by coined was cinctus the plainer the black head from that separates Gregory splitter the notorious underparts. In 1935, on Hauturu/ that specimens collected felt Mathews sufficiently different Little Barrier Island were a erect on the mainland to those collected from subspecies new has recognised no authority name. Subsequently, resur name although it is occasionally Mathew’s is taxon This enthusiastic amateurs. by rected monotypic. considered currently recognised that the species was sufficiently distinct that the species was recognised from description of the bird’s an excellent name was This bristles ( unique facial όρνις another been used for that this name had already obscure incredibly in Billberg’s bird Scandinaviae nomenclature. under the rules of zoological available in 1908, Richmond this reason, For genus ‘southern’), and The specific name the species’ uncertain affinities. use of the name Hīhī but this appears to have been have to this appears use of the name Hīhī but of Māori. a small subset the name used only by Scientific name and taxonomy were specimens of this species whom the first or by R. Gray George but collected constantly are Zealand] who visit [New whalers species The Paris’. to specimens sending zoological the Belgian politician, described by formally was Bernard- Vicomte ornithologist and palaeontologist (1808–1874). Du Bus de Gisignies Aime Leonard in the original the species Although Du Bus placed genus honeyeater thological section of the British Museum, in 1846 side of the head. These names undoubtedly refer to to refer names undoubtedly the head. These side of that tufts white the ear coverts near the prominent erect. and can manipulate both sexes early European by named Stitchbird was bird The resemblance call bears because its contact settlers the Department years, In recent stitch. the word to championed the common have of Conservation

♀ 279 uses Maori Bird Bird Maori 280 29–42 g, ♂

TIRITIRI MATANGI TIRITIRI MATANGI . White WGT In the late 1850s, In the late 10 placed this name placed An Account of of Account An 281 10 primaries, p6 longest. 10 primaries, p6 longest. Oliver). 268 Meliphaga cincta Meliphaga 27.0–28.7 mm; 27.0–28.7 contra ♀ published in 1835, he used the name In Rev. W. Yate’s Yate’s W. In Rev. The name Hīhī was first used by Taylor by used first name Hīhī was The It is possible Yate may have encountered encountered have may Yate It is possible 62 Wing Formulae: Formulae: Wing 277 , listing another 18 names for this species, , listing another 18 names for

A freshly fledged juvenile with the obvious yellow gape yellow with the obvious juvenile fledged A freshly

also a method of dressing the hair in horns on each also a method of dressing Hīhī is onomatopoeic, the bird produces no obvious no obvious produces the bird Hīhī is onomatopoeic, the ‘long Hīhī are call that this name resembles. canoe’ and is of a war plumes ornamenting the bow now regarded as ‘correct’, it would appear that appear it would as ‘correct’, regarded now that Hīhī is listed the fact follows usage common suggested While some have alphabetically. first Names birds for and probably describing the sexes many seasonal females in different and ages of differing Williams Māori names from many Like plumages. the name in his 1885 anthology but does not define the name in his 1885 anthology but does not define a Hihi is. Williams what bird alphabetically in his importantfirst paper Taranaki. same volume but in the a koromiko’ ‘like a bird for for is used Kotihe this name on the East Cape, which he visited in this name on the East Cape, which he visited the early 1830s ( the Māori of obtained the name Ihi from Dieffenbach TAXONOMIC NOTES TAXONOMIC Māori name Zealand New Kotihe. 0.5–1.5