THE BIRD CATCHING TREE.

Forest and Bird, Issue 31, 1 October 1933, Page 10

THE BIRD CATCHING TREE.

The Parapara (Pisonia), or bird catching tree is found on the islands and coast of the Northern parts of New Zealand. It is particularly non-frost resisting. With its large elongated green leaves it makes a very beautiful tree. Each seed of this tree is contained in a pod about 2 inches long and the outside of this pod is covered with a sticky material of bird lime tenacity. Nature’s idea is evidently seed distribution as a bird settling in this tree may get foul of one of these sticky pods which easily break off. Then the bird flies away, picks off the'messy thing and thereby distributes the seed. Where this tree is growing naturally in a forest, as on Little Barrier, little or no ' hurt to bird life seems to accrue from its presence, but when the tree is growing singly in an exposed situation its top is easily cut off by winds as it is a plant of delicate nature. When this happens the seed pods form in a mass on the top of the tree. A parapara was recently cut down on Motiti Island, near Tauranga, because birds were continually getting captured by it. It was growing in an exposed position. At the time of its destruction 84 dead silver-eyes were counted in the tree.