Art · Art journal · Mixed-media · Nature

Tui

Christine

One of our most beloved native birds, here in New Zealand, is the tui. A medium-sized bird, a little larger than a blackbird, the tui has an interesting and varied repertoire of sounds, which include melodious ringing notes interspersed with coughs and grunts. They can also mimic the sounds of other birds. Tui live in native forests and rural areas, but can also be found in suburban parks and gardens that have flowering and fruiting trees. They are honeyeaters and love feeding from the nectar of flowering gums, kowhai, pohutukawa, flax and fuchsia.

When we go for walks, we often hear the whoosh of their wingbeats as they fly between trees. They are easy to spot with their white throat tufts and the iridescent blue and green sheen of their feathers in the sunlight.

Below are a few pictures that my husband has taken on our walks. They really show the beauty of these birds. The bottom two photos are of a tui that was feeding on nectar from the flowers of a kowhai tree, which I used as inspiration for my art journal page.

Published by Christine

I am a nature lover who enjoys organic gardening, cooking, art and crafts, and writing stories.

22 thoughts on “Tui”

  1. Awesome photographs Christine. Thanks for introducing us to one of your native birds. I love that little white “ruffle” on the bird’s neck. Very different from any bird we have here.

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  5. Your Tui pages and photos are amazing! I’ve never heard of this bird before and it was so interesting reading about it and seeing your photos, thanks for sharing 😁. I love your pages too, the texture from the lace in the background is fabulous and you’ve captured the Tui so beautifully too! Happy and creative wishes! Hugs, Jo x

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  7. Wow, all I can say is wow. Such beautiful birds! They look a tiny little bit like starlings. Starlings (Sturnus) mimic all kinds of sounds too. Anyway, gorgeous photos!!!!

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