Stitchbird/Hihi.
One of New Zealand's most interesting birds is the Stitchbird/Hihi. With the males body full of colour it is very easy to spot one in the wild forests of New Zealand. Though these days it is getting harder to see them as they are disappearing.
Contents:
1. Habitat
2. Description
3. Behaviour
4. Food
5. Threats
6. History
1. Habitat
2. Description
3. Behaviour
4. Food
5. Threats
6. History
1. Habitat:
Stitchbird's seem to build their nests in tree cavities in New Zealand. Webs plus fern scales and lichen are used to line a cup of finer twigs into a cup shape at the top of the nest. Stitchbird's are usually found on NZ's Little Barrier Island in the Haraki Gulf. They are also seen on Tiritiri Matangi + Kapati Islands
2. Description:
Female Stitchbird/Hihi
Male and Female Stitchbird's/Hihi are very different in looking in a lot of ways. The males have a yellow band going round their neck. There are white tufts above their eyes, its head is black and stop at the yellow neck line, then the rest of the body is grey. The Female like above is different to the male and has no yellow band or black head. Instead its a grey bird with thin whiskers poking forward at the base of its nose, its beak is thinner and more curved than the males. this birds tounge is also longer than its opposite sex as it has a brush at the end of it for collecting nectar. Something that the Female and Male Stitchbird's have in common are their white ear tufts except the Females ones are smaller.
3. Behaviour:
The Stitchbird is one of those birds that will rarely land on the ground. Also
when the stitch bird is around other birds like the Tui or the New Zealand
Bellbird in a feeding area it will usually eat lower quality resources, probably
because the Stitchbird is a smaller bird to these big birds of New Zealand.
when the stitch bird is around other birds like the Tui or the New Zealand
Bellbird in a feeding area it will usually eat lower quality resources, probably
because the Stitchbird is a smaller bird to these big birds of New Zealand.
4. Food:
Tree Fuchsia
The Stitchbird has been seen to be a honey-eater taking nectar from the matata, puriri, rata, torapapa. Then they eat fruits like pate, five fingers, ruakawa, tree fuchsia. Sometimes they snack on insects found on the forest floor.
5. Threats:
Wild Cat
The main threats going to the Stitchbirds numbering is the loss of habitat due to farms and the introduction of mammalian predators like the cat and the rat. The cats would hunt down the bird while the rat finds the Stitchbirds nest and destroys the eggs. Another cause of threat is all the diseases that other birds like pigeons or sparrows are carrying from the countries they have been to.
6. History:
Back when the first European settlers arrived in New Zealand the forest were thriving with Stitchbirds/Hihi's and other birds. Until along with the settlers came the black rats which found easy prey on the birds which weren't used to predators coming and eating their eggs while they went to go find food.