Yellow Breasted Tit

Ngiru-Ngiru

Petroica macrocephala

These small distinctive birds are often seen chasing insects along Sidney Cove or on Boulder Beach, although they do work the deeper forest. The males are very distinctive with their yellow/white breast and glossy black backs. The tail has two white feathers midway out each side. The females have similar patterning, but are much drabber. And flying away the banded tail is often the only clue to identity. These small birds are the preferred hosts for cuckoo. The nests are snug affairs, made of moss and feathers, laced with fine twigs, and most seem to be quite low to the ground. They are perhaps shyer than many of our forest and forest edge birds, this maybe because of a liking for semi open areas where they would have been more vulnerable to raptors.

About 130 mm