Notiomystis cincta (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1839)

Species Introduction

The stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta) is a small bird with a honeyeater-like appearance.

Male Plumage

Males have a dark velvety cap and short white ear-tufts that can be held slightly away from the head. A yellow band across the chest divides the black head from the grey rest of the body.

Female and Juvenile Plumage

Females and juveniles are duller in color than males, and do not have the black head or yellow chest band.

Bill and Tongue Structure

The stitchbird has a rather thin, slightly curved bill, and a long tongue that ends in a brush, which it uses to collect nectar.

Facial Whiskers

Thin whiskers project outward and slightly forward from the base of the bill.

General Activity and Calling Behavior

Stitchbirds are very active and call frequently.

Common Call Etymology

Their most common call is a tzit tzit sound, which is widely thought to give the species its common name, as Buller noted that this sound "has a fanciful resemblance to the word stitch".

General Vocalization Types

They also produce a high-pitched whistle and an alarm call that is a nasal pek, similar to the call of a bellbird.

Male-Specific Vocalizations

Males produce a piercing three-note whistle, most often heard in spring, along with a range of other calls that females do not make.

Interspecific Competitors

Research indicates that stitchbirds face interspecific competition from tūī and New Zealand bellbird.

Competition Impact on Food Sources

When these larger, more aggressive species are present, stitchbirds are forced to feed on lower-quality food sources.

Competition Impact on Habitat Use

Stitchbirds rarely land on the ground, and seldom visit flowers on the large canopy trees that tūī and bellbird prefer, a pattern that may be a direct result of competition from these larger birds.

Overall Diet Composition

Nectar is the main food of the stitchbird, but its overall diet includes over twenty species of native flowers, thirty species of fruit, and many species of introduced plants.

Key Nectar Sources

Important natural nectar sources for the stitchbird are haekaro, matata, pūriri, rātā and toropapa.

Preferred Fruit Sources

Its preferred fruits include Coprosma species, five finger, pate, tree fuchsia and raukawa.

Supplementary Diet

Stitchbirds also supplement their diet with small insects.