New Zealand Bellbird

The New Zealand Bellbird, known in Maori as korimako, is a modestly plumaged honeyeater whose beauty lies almost entirely in its voice. Males are olive-green overall with a subtle purplish gloss on the head and a faint dark line through the eye, while females are duller olive-brown with a small white-ish stripe near the bill and lack the male's head gloss.

Early European visitors to New Zealand famously described the dawn chorus, in which Bellbirds featured prominently alongside Tui, as one of the most beautiful sounds they had encountered anywhere in the world. Though far less flamboyant in appearance than the Tui, the Bellbird's pure, ringing, bell-like notes make it just as celebrated a voice of the New Zealand forest.

Key field marks

• Olive-green plumage, brightest and glossiest on the male's head
• Faint dark eye-line, more obvious in males
• Slightly downcurved, fine black bill
• Red eye, visible at close range
• Females duller and browner than males, with a small pale stripe near the gape

Similar species

• Tui is much larger, glossy black-green rather than plain olive, and has a distinctive white throat tuft absent in the Bellbird.
• Female and juvenile Bellbirds can appear nondescript but are best told by their smaller size, plain olive tones, and characteristic bell-like calls compared to any other New Zealand forest bird.

Range

Widespread across the North, South, and Stewart Islands and many offshore islands of New Zealand, though scarce or absent from parts of the North Island where introduced predators have had a heavier impact.

Habitat

Found in native forest, forest edges, and regenerating scrub, from coastal areas to subalpine treeline, and increasingly in well-vegetated gardens near forest.

Migration

Mostly sedentary, with some local seasonal movement to track flowering and fruiting trees.

Behavior

Active and often heard well before it is seen, moving quickly through foliage while feeding, and defending flowering or fruiting trees from rivals including other Bellbirds and Tui.

Voice

A clear, resonant, bell-like song of chiming notes, often given as a dawn and dusk chorus; calls also include a harsher chattering scold when alarmed.

Feeding

Feeds on nectar using a brush-tipped tongue, as well as small fruit and insects gleaned from foliage, and is an important pollinator of native flowering plants.

Nesting

Builds a compact cup nest of twigs, grass, and moss in dense foliage; the female alone incubates two to four eggs, and both parents feed the chicks after hatching.