#tomtit

Tomtit (Petroica macrocephala), male, family Petroicidae, order Passeriformes, New Zealand

Who’s this little ball of fluff? Meet the Tomtit (Petroica macrocephala). There are five subspecies of this bird; each inhabits a specific island or island group in New Zealand: North Island, South Island, the Chatham Islands, the Auckland Islands, or the Snares Islands. It munches on small invertebrates like spiders, beetles, and moths, as well as on the occasional fruit. It’s known for its curious personality, as it often perches on a branch to observe others or to scan the area for a meal.

Ngirungiru.

The South Island Tomtit of New Zealand (Male pictured)

Bird Support

Kererū (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae)

They’re so joyous and whimsical and they get drunk off of berries fermenting in their stomach and fall out of the tree. Ideal creature

They are super cute and also keep trying to stand on branches that are too small for them and then fall off or hang upside-down

My favourite of all the places I’ve lived had a tree right outside my second floor window and the time at which I got home every day was the time at which a kereru best liked hanging out in that tree. I was so happy to see it =)

Massive. Colourful. Pigeon. That eats huge berries whole.

Tomtit (Petroica macrocephala)

Has two subspecies with Māori names for both, south island (ngirungiru) & north island (miromiro)

Tomtit. Or miromiro. Or ngirungiru. Petroica macrocephala if you will. Not actually a tit despite the name. There are no members of the family Paridae here.

A 1928 Hawker Tomtit taking off from the Old Warden for the Shuttleworth Military Weekend Airshow