Environment – Tumbling tauhou

As winter approaches, our local birds shift to behavioural strategies that help them survive the coming seasonal challenges. Many kōtare (sacred kingfishers) move to coastal areas where they will forage on little crabs. Tui may wander extensively, exploiting ephemeral food sources like kohekohe fruit. And many species become quite social, travelling around, and foraging together in large flocks. 

There are numerous benefits to winter flocking – larger groups of birds have better chances of finding patchy food sources, spotting predators and can even keep each other warm at night in communal roosts. Right now, it is easy to spot flocks of silvereyes flitting about the treetops in our gardens and parks.  

Silvereyes are a relatively recent addition to New Zealand’s birds. There is no evidence that they were introduced by humans, so they are part of our native fauna. They colonised New Zealand from Australia in the 1800s and are now one of the most abundant native bird species. The Te Reo Māori name for silvereyes is “tauhou” which means “stranger” or “new arrival” – a reflection of how they just appeared one day and quickly established themselves. 

Tauhou are one of my favourite birds to watch. They are dainty, quick-flying little guys – constantly on the move as they scour the habitat for berries, nectar, and insects. But since they are small, quick and spend a lot of time in the treetops, they can be challenging to observe closely. 

You can observe tauhou more easily by bringing the birds to you. When winter really settles in, a great way to support them is to provide halved oranges which you can leave on a tree branch or bird-feeding table. They will discover the oranges quickly and soon you will have little roving gangs of them swarming around your garden. 

When feeding tauhou in winter it is important to place the oranges in a place where cats cannot stalk them, and to take the oranges inside at night so that you are not inadvertently providing a rat feeder too. 

Social living in winter brings many advantages to the cooperating group members – but this does not mean that the tauhou always get along. Within the group there is constant conflict, squabbling and chasing. Occasionally you will see tauhou quiver their wings while perched on an orange. This is a threat display that signals intent to escalate if challenged. When challenged, the two rivals may explode upwards in a blur, looking as though they are doing an intricate and fast-motion aerial dance. But they are fiercely battling for dominance – kicking and pecking at each other in mid-air. These tiny little birds really can put on quite a show.