Tommy Tui’s Journey
Tommy's friends
Tommy Tui meets many other birds and animals on his journey. Here are a few of them:
Mr and Mrs Kereru
The Kereru is a New Zealand Pigeon, large and brightly coloured.
The Quail family
Quails were introduced to New Zealand from California.
Winnie Waxeye
The Waxeye (or Silvereye) is a Pacific bird that came to New Zealand about 150 years ago.
The Robin
The New Zealand Robin is black with a white chest. He appears shy but will follow people, especially if they are disturbing leaf litter.
Taffy the Clown
Taffy is the common name for a Welshman also known as Alwyn. This beautiful specimen migrated to New Zealand from Caernarfon almost half a century ago.
Mr Chaffinch
Early settlers brought Chaffinches to New Zealand to remind themselves of home.
Fanny Fantail
Cheeky Fantails perform aerobatics to catch insects.
Mr Sparrow
There are Sparrows in practically every part of the world.
Sammy Swan
Sammy is black, and comes from Australia.
Gemma the Gull
Gemma’s beak is a bright red, so she is called a Red-billed Gull.
Dag the Shag
Dag is a Little Shag. In some parts of the world shags are known as cormorants
Alwyn the Penguin
Alwyn is a Blue Penguin, and lives a long way from any ice.
Harry the Heron
Harry is White-faced Heron (or Blue Heron), who catches fish in shallow water.
Chloe the Kingfisher
Chloe is a cousin of the Kookaburra, but a lot prettier!
Lilly the Spoonbill
Lilly is a Royal Spoonbill, and scoops up food with her broad beak.
Terns
White-fronted Terns live in large flocks, and only on the coast.
Emma the Emu
Emma is another Australian, and lives on a farm.
Clive the Cockerel
Clive is proud of his bright red comb, and lets everyone know about it.
The Parries
The Paradise Shelduck is usually seen in pairs. The female has a white head and the male has a black head.
Keita the Kaka
The Kaka ia a large and inquisitive forest parrot.
The Takahe
The Takahe is very rare, and cannot fly. It only lives in special reserves.
Bella the Bellbird
The Bellbird is a nectar feeder like the Tui, but much less common. Its beautiful song does sound like a bell.
Scottie the Tuatara
The Tuatara is a reptile that looks like a lizard but isn’t. He’s said to be a “living fossil”.
Mr More Pork
The Morepork is New Zealand’s owl. At night he doesn’t hoot, he says “more pork” over and over.