PIPIWHARAUROA

Taupo Times, Volume I, Issue 37, 24 September 1952, Page 3

PIPIWHARAUROA

HARBINGER OF SPRING

(By

"A. A.")

Last weelc a Shining* Cuckoo arrived in Taupo and announced to all and sundry that spring had arrived. Although we are all familiar with the haunting call of this little visitor every spring, very few people are privileged with a glimpse, as it usually flies away immediately after giving- its call. However, last summer, a resident of Taupo was fortunate- enough to find a young Shining Cuckoo in her garden. It was in an exhausted condition but, after a few hours in a nest of cotton wool on a hot water bottle, it revived sufficiently to sip a few drops of honey and water. Although it managed to flap its wings, it was unable to walk and the following day it died. It was a most attractive little bird, about the size of a skylark, with a beautiful bronze - green coat and wings. It's white head and breast were striped with green, making a per fect camouflage against a leafy background. The Maotris call this little harbinger of spring Pipiwharauroa and its arrival used to be the signal for the planting of the Kumara. When the bird first arrives in New Zealand it is naturally feeling very exhausted after the long journey across the seas. That is why its call is shorter in the spring. During the summer its song becomes fuller and ricHer, and the Maoris interpret it as "Kui kui whitiwhiti ora to — o." The last two notes end in a chuckling stutter. \

The strange fact is that Shining Cuckoo has no knowledge of the art of nest-building and will always remain one of the mysteries of nature. However the bird possesses plenty of intelligence and chooses a nest, in which to place her egg, which is strongly built. She also picks a foster mother who will care for her off spring dtevotedly. Shining Cuckoo, therefore, deposits her egg quite often in the nest of Riroriro, the dittle grey Warbler. Riroriro's tiny home is about eight inches long and four inches wide, the upper portion forming a hood over the entrance which is only about an incih and a half wide. Naturally it would be an impossible feat for the Shining Cuckoo to enter this tiny aperture. However, nothing daunted, she removes most of the Warbler's eggs to make room for her own, then proceeds to .lay her own large olive brown egg on the ground, after which, she carries it carefully in her beak to the nest, placing it on top of the other eggs.

One can imagine poor little Riroriro^ distress, on returning home, to find some of her precious eggs lying broken on ihe ground. She is no doubt greatly mystified about the strange large egg in her nest, but accepts the situation philosophically, sitting patiently on the eggs uriti l they all hatch out, the arge shining cuckoo which grows and grows until it occupies the entire nest, forcing the poor urifortunate little Warbler chicks on to the ground or else crushing theni beneatn it. The business of feeding this hugc foster child becomes inmeasingly difficult for its tiny foster mother. Last year in January, I had the experience of wat'diing'a little grey W arbler , feeding a baby shining

Cuckoo, about three times its sizej.! Whilst sitting under a tree one afternoon, I heard a loud desperate cheeping ab.ove me which seemt ed to go on and on with monotonous regularity. I discovered poor Riroriro darting frantically to and fro, above me searehing* for tiny. fliefc and insects to try and satisfy the appetite of her huge foster child. It followed her from branch to . branch still keeping up its loud clam;-: orous cries for food. It seemed tfa me that nothing less than two do2~ en insects would satisfy fhe gluttonous "lodger," which would inean a lot of work for little Riroriro. Later when the chick reaches maturity it feeds on caterpillars and moths. By the end of the summer we no longer hear Shining Cuckoo's call for the bird leaves New Zealarid about the end of February and begins the long journey back to the Solomon Islands where, jit is believed, it spends the winter months. It is ; au revoir, but not good bye. I IMII1III11 Hll — — — — — — ■-