About the Tomtit
The tomtit is a small passerine bird in the family Petroicidae, the Australasian robins. It is endemic to the islands of New Zealand, ranging across the main islands as well as several of the outlying islands. In the Māori language, the North Island tomtit is known as miromiro and the South Island tomtit is known as ngirungiru. This bird has several other Māori and English names as well. There are several subspecies showing considerable variation in plumage and size. The species is not threatened and has adapted to the changes made to New Zealand's biodiversity.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
The tomtit is a small (13 cm, 11 g) bird with a large head and a short bill. The male North Island subspecies has black head, back, wings (with a white wing-bar), and a white belly. The subspecies from South Island, the Chatham Islands, and Auckland Islands are similar, but have a yellow band across the breast between the black head and white belly. The females are brown instead of black. The Snares Island subspecies is entirely black, and is known as the black tit.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What the Tomtit sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in December · a variable species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Flame RobinPetroica phoeniceaThe largest of the red robins, the flame robin is 12–14 cm (4.7–5.5 in) long.
Rose RobinPetroica roseaAdult birds are around 11 cm (4.3 in) in length.
Red-capped RobinPetroica goodenoviiThe smallest of the red robins, the red-capped robin is 10.5–12.5 cm (4.1–4.9 in) long with a wingspan of 15–19.5 cm (5.9–7.7 in), and weighs around 7–9 g (0.25–0.31 oz).
Learn the Tomtit 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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