Tūī
Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
Silhouette: Rachael Joakim · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyMeliphagidae (Honeyeaters)
- GenusProsthemadera (Tūī)
- SpeciesProsthemadera novaeseelandiae (Tūī)
About the Tūī
The tūī (Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae) is a medium-sized bird native to New Zealand. It is blue, green, and bronze coloured with a distinctive white throat tuft (poi). It is an endemic passerine bird of New Zealand, and the only species in the genus Prosthemadera. It is one of the largest species in the diverse Australasian honeyeater family Meliphagidae, and one of two living species of that family found in New Zealand, the other being the New Zealand bellbird (Anthornis melanura). The tūī has a wide distribution in the archipelago, ranging from the subtropical Kermadec Islands to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands, as well as the main islands.
Europeans first encountered the tūī in 1770 at Queen Charlotte Sound on the north coast of New Zealand's South Island during Captain James Cook's first voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Specimens were brought back to England and an engraving of a tūī by the English naturalist Peter Brown, which he called "The New Zeland creeper", was published in 1776. The tūī was seen on all three of Cook's voyages. Cook's account of his second voyage to the Pacific was published in 1777 and included a description and an illustration of the tūī.... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Tūī in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Aoraki Mount Cook National Park
New Zealand Bellbird
Anthornis melanura
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Miromiro
Petroica macrocephala
Grey Warbler
Gerygone igata
Silvereye
Zosterops lateralis
Dunnock
Prunella modularis
New Zealand Fantail
Rhipidura fuliginosa
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelos
European Greenfinch
Chloris chloris
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammea
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Egmont National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 2 | Rakiura National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 3 | Tongariro National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 4 | Abel Tasman National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 5 | Fiordland National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 6 | Aoraki Mount Cook National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | |
| 7 | Arthur's Pass National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Tūī in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Tūī sighting in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park, based on 141 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Tūī in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park?
August has the highest sighting rate for Tūī in Aoraki Mount Cook National Park in our monthly data.