COURAGE OF TUIS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 16 December 1939, Page 10

COURAGE OF TUIS

FIGHTERS FOR THEIR RIGHTS. “Many New Zealanders may have been rather startled by the report that a tin killed a thrush in the garden of a hotel in Auckland, but the news would not have surprised close observers of the Tui’s habits.” writes a Wellington member of the Forest and Bird Protection Society. "The tui is indeed a valiant New Zealander which fights for its rights. Some time ago when starlings began poaching on a preserve of tuis on a Wanganui farm—a clump of flax with a wealth of honeyed flowers —the trespassers were fiercely attacked by tuis, and the intruders were soon glad to seek safety in quick fight. “It is well known that when a hawk swoops into a forest tuis sound the alarm, and gladly join any special force of small birds in an effort to scare away the killer. “The strong fighting spirit of the tui has enabled it to survive various misfortunes such as the cutting and burning of native forests and the stupid introduction of stoats, weasels, cats and other nuisances. As compensation for the loss of much of its natural feeding places, it enjoys the nectar of many introduced trees and shrubs and also the sweetened porridge and syrup offered by friends, especially during the winter.”