Grey Gerygone
Gerygone igata
The Grey Gerygone (Gerygone igata) is a common gerygones, thornbills, scrubwrens, and alli found only in New Zealand, weighing about 6 g. The grey warbler, also known by its Māori name riroriro or outside New Zealand as the grey gerygone, is an insectivorous bird in the family Acanthizidae endemic to New Zealand.
About the Grey Gerygone
The grey warbler, also known by its Māori name riroriro or outside New Zealand as the grey gerygone, is an insectivorous bird in the family Acanthizidae endemic to New Zealand. It is sometimes known as the rainbird. Its natural habitat is forests, but also tends to occupy lower vegetation habitats. These insectivorous birds feed on insects living in shrubs, and often feed on the wing. They are found throughout New Zealand, as well as offshore islands where shrub exists. They also flourish in suburban areas where there is vegetation present.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The grey warbler has a long tail that is darker than its grey-brown body, with white tail end markings as well as a white tail underside. There is little sexual dimorphism between males and females, aside from females usually being smaller than males. Warblers are especially small; weighing around 6.5g with an average length of only around 10cm. Adults have a signature ruby red eye, while juveniles have a brown eye, as well as yellowish feathers around the face and underbody. Voice: The male's song often starts with a series of three squeaks and builds into a distinctive long plaintive wavering trill that rises and falls. Only the male warblers sing year-round, to attract mates and defend territory. Male songs are particularly loud during summer and spring, which lines up with the warblers breeding season.
What the Grey Gerygone sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
The Grey Gerygone can be seen all year round, with peak activity in November. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Grey Gerygone?
- The grey warbler has a long tail that is darker than its grey-brown body, with white tail end markings as well as a white tail underside. Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Grey Gerygone?
- The Grey Gerygone is a tiny sized bird weighing about 6 g.
- Where can you see a Grey Gerygone?
- The Grey Gerygone is endemic to New Zealand, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What does a Grey Gerygone sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Grey Gerygone on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Grey Gerygone?
- The Grey Gerygone is most easily confused with the Brown Gerygone, the White-throated Gerygone and the Western Gerygone.
- Is the Grey Gerygone endangered?
- The Grey Gerygone is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Grey Gerygone for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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