Mohoua albicilla
The Whitehead, Mohoua albicilla, is a charming and highly active passerine endemic to New Zealand. Averaging about 15 cm (6 inches) in length and weighing 18-20 grams, this small bird is easily identified by its striking bright white head, throat, and underparts, contrasting sharply with its brownish-grey back, wings, and tail. Males typically exhibit a cleaner, brighter white, while females may have a slightly duller or creamier wash to the head; otherwise, sexual dimorphism is subtle. Taxon...
Found primarily in native temperate broadleaf and podocarp-broadleaf forests, often extending into mature exotic plantations, typically at low to mid-elevations.
Their diet consists mainly of arboreal invertebrates, including spiders, caterpillars, moths, and beetles, supplemented occasionally with fruit and nectar, primarily obtained through gleaning and probing foliage and bark.
Whiteheads are diurnal and highly active, often foraging continuously throughout the day, forming large, noisy flocks outside of the breeding season. They are primarily arboreal insectivores, employing an acrobatic foraging strategy that involves gleaning insects and spiders from leaves, probing ...
The Whitehead is endemic to New Zealand and is now primarily restricted to the North Island. Historically, it was widespread across both the North and South Islands. However, due to habitat loss and the devastating impact of introduced mammalian predators, its range has severely contracted. Curre...
Near Threatened
- The Whitehead is one of only three species belonging to the endemic New Zealand bird family Mohouidae, alongside the Yellowhead and Brown Creeper. - They are renowned for their highly cooperative breeding system, where non-breeding individuals (often older siblings) assist the breeding pair in ...