Image of Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae (Gmelin & JF 1788)

Description:

On 9 April, 2009, on a wet stormy day in a clearing low down in Hinewai Reserve, tui were released back onto Banks Peninsula. It is hoped that these birds will found a breeding population on Banks Peninsula, the first since at least the 1980s. In the previous week, 30 tui had been caught on Maud Island in the Marlborough Sounds, a predator-free reserve managed by the Department of Conservation. The captured tui, a mixture of male and female adults and juveniles, were placed in cardboard cat boxes, two to a box, and flown by helicopter directly to Hinewai Reserve. If these 30 birds stick around, they will be joined by a further 50 birds from Maud Island next year. In this photo, a tui is released by Wayne Beggs, from the Department of Conservation, and John Tom, a retired vet from nearby Akaroa. Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, tui (Bird, Aves, Meliphagidae), New Zealand: Endemic Hinewai Reserve Banks Peninsula Canterbury South Island New Zealand