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The Tūī

A tūī on a kōwhai tree.

Before Reading Tasks

Task 1: Describe the photo (🗣️ or ✍️)

a) Look at the photo and describe what a tūī looks like.

b) What is the tūī doing?

The Tūī

The tūī is a native New Zealand bird with beautiful iridescent feathers. They look black from a distance, but in sunlight their feathers shine blue, green, and purple. They have a white tuft on their throat, making them easy to recognise. You will often know a tūī is nearby before even seeing it, because they are loud and sing beautiful and complex songs.

They are crucial pollinators in New Zealand. With their long, strong beaks they feed on the nectar of flowers of native plants such as flax, kōwhai, and pōhutukawa. They then transfer pollen on their beaks to other flowers on nearby plants, while searching for more nectar. This helps the flowers make seeds, which can grow into new plants and trees in the future.

People keen to attract tūī to their garden should plant native plants that tūī like to drink nectar from. Not only will they hear the tūī’s beautiful songs, but they will also be supporting New Zealand’s nature and wildlife.

Click here to listen to a tūī singing.

After Reading Tasks

Task 1: Decide if you think the following statements are true or false (🗣️ or ✍️)

a) The tūī's multiple colours are easy to see from a distance.

b) The tūī is not from New Zealand.

c) The tūī helps New Zealand's nature and wildlife.

Task 2: Answer the discussion/reflection questions (🗣️ or ✍️)

a) Have you planted a tree before?

b) Have you ever seen or heard a tūī in your garden or nearby? How did it make you feel?

c) Why do you think it is important to protect native birds and plants?

d) What other animals or birds in your area do you enjoy seeing, and why?

Task 3: What do the words/phrases in bold mean?

Task 1 'True or False' Answers:

a) The tūī's multiple colours are easy to see from a distance.
False. From a distance, the tūī' looks black. It is only when you see one up close that you can see more of the other colours.

b) The tūī is not from New Zealand.
False. The tūī is a native New Zealand bird.

c) The tūī helps New Zealand's nature and wildlife.
True. They are crucial pollinators. They spread pollen from flower to flower, which helps the flowers make seeds. These seeds can grow into new plants, so native New Zealand plants can grow more and more.

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