Birds at Azur
At Azur we have a number of native bird species that frequent our grounds, from Tui’s that land high in the pine trees, New Zealand Pigeon’s that rest in the Beech trees or Silver Eyes who you may see darting from place to place.
Have you been fortunate enough to see any of the bird life around Azur and are curious to know what type of bird you may have seen?
Tui – Endemic
Tui are common throughout New Zealand in forests, towns and on off-shore islands. They are adaptable and are found not only in native forests, bush reserves and bush remnants but also in suburban areas, particularly in winter if there is a flowering gum about.
These attractive birds can often be heard singing beautiful melodies long before they are spotted. If you are fortunate to glimpse one you will recognise them by their distinctive white tuft under their throat, which contrasts dramatically with the metallic blue- green sheen to their underlying black colour.
Bell Bird – Endemic
Most New Zealanders can easily recognise the bellbird by its melodious song, which Captain Cook described as sounding ‘like small bells exquisitely tuned’.
Well camouflaged, the bellbird is usually heard before it is seen. Females are dull olive-brown, with a slight blue sheen on the head and a pale yellow cheek stripe. Males are olive green, with a purplish head and black outer wing and tail feathers.
New Zealand Pigeon – Endemic
New Zealand’s native pigeon, also known as kereru, kuku and kukupa and wood pigeon, is the only disperser of large fruits, such as those of karaka and taraire, we have. The disappearance of the kereru would be a disaster for the regeneration of our native forests. The kereru is a large bird with irridescent green and bronze feathers on its head and a smart white vest. The noisy beat of its wings is a distinctive sound in our forests.
Silver Eye – Native
Also known as white eye or waxeye, from its distinctive white eye ring. Maori named it ‘tauhou’, meaning stranger, for the bird apparently arrived here from Australia, as recently as 1832. It is seen in gardens, orchards, scrub and forest or anywhere where there are trees. Besides nectar and insects it eats spiders and fruit.
New Zealand Falcon – Endemic
Capable of flying at speeds over 100 km/h and catching prey larger than itself, the New Zealand falcon is one of New Zealand’s most spectacular birds. One of 38 species of falcon worldwide, the New Zealand falcon is endemic to this country. The falcon has a wide distribution, being found on both the North and South Islands and several offshore islands, including Stewart Island and the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands.
Fantail – Native
Known for its friendly ‘cheet cheet’ call and energetic flying antics, the aptly named fantail is one of the most common and widely distributed native birds on the New Zealand mainland. It is easily recognized by its long tail which opens to a fan. It has a small head and bill and has two colour forms, pied and melanistic or black. The pied birds are grey-brown with white and black bands.
