#riroriro

Riroriro. Aka Grey Warbler akaka Gray Gerygone

Bird Info & Submission Reasons

Riroriro / Grey Gerygone (Gerygone igata)

"I hear them around my house a lot, however I don't see them all that often. They have very lovely calls. (also I submitted them in the obscure birds poll and I want them to have a second chance)"

"Local bird, rare to see not uncommon to hear"

Tītipounamu / Rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris)

"Found all over new zealand"

"submitted for the niche bird tournament but disqualified; this is the cutest little orb to ever exist! They are "New Zealand wrens", which used to have 7 species before European colonization and now only has 2. While they are still songbirds, their lineage is so old that they are separate from the "true songbirds". They are also the smallest bird in NZ."

Channel-billed Cuckoo vs Gray Gerygone [Riroriro]

sources under cut

Channel-billed Cuckoo Propaganda

"they're the largest species of cuckoo! they call at night, it's always so jarring to hear birdsong at night, it's really cool when they're around, I've only seen them once or twice but I've heard them so many times"

"Pairs work together in order to aid the laying of eggs in host nests; the male will fly over the nest in order to provoke the nest occupants into a mobbing response, whereupon the female will slip into the nest and lay an egg. Alternatively the pair may work together by attacking an incubating bird, driving it off the nest and allowing the female to lay."

In northern Australia, their migration coincides with the rainy season and has lead to various nicknames such as "storm-bird", "flood-bird", or "rain-bird". They've also been given the nickname "fig hawk", as they are frugivorous and often have the soaring outline of a hawk.

Riroriro Propaganda

"I think they're neat, I hear them all the time, although I don't see them that much as they are rather cryptic. Also their nests are funky."

Also known as: Grey warbler, Gray gerygone, teetotum, or rainbird.

"Grey warblers are unique among New Zealand birds in building a pear-shaped nest with a side entrance near the top." In Maori culture, the riroriro is seen as an indicator of upcoming weather conditions for a season. This is due to the way they may direct the entrance of their nest, with an east-facing nest meaning a poor season brought by Western winds and a north-facing nest suggesting a pleasant season brought by Southern winds. Their spring singing was also seen as a signal to begin planting crops.