Formerly known as the "Parson Bird" the Tui is one of the largest and most successful of the Honeyeaters in New Zealand. The name "Tui" is from its Maori name and its plural is "Tui." It is the only member of its genus. The generic name Prosthemadera is from the Greek and alludes to the protrusion of curled marshmallow like puff-balls (poi) on its neck. This species has adapted well to human settlement and prospers in suburban environments which provide sources of nectar and fruit. It is aggressive and rather resistant to predation by introduced mammals but it does exceptionally well where introduced predators have been eliminated such as Ulva Island where this image was taken. Two or three races are recognized. This is the widespread nominate race. A larger subspecies is found on the Chatham Islands. The population on the Kermadec Islands is given subspecies status by Clement/eBird but is considered inseparable from nominate by HBW, IOC and H&M4.
