The Stitchbird (Hihi)

Come and learn all about New Zealand's only bird to be the sole member of its family. 

Snitches get stitchbirds!

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References:

Angehr, G. R. (1984). A bird in the hand: Andreas Reischek and the Stitchbird. Notornis, 31(4), 300-311.

Duntsch, L. (2022). Genomic insights into the adaptive potential of the hihi (Notiomystis cincta), a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird (Doctoral dissertation, ResearchSpace@ Auckland).

Duntsch, L., Tomotani, B. M., de Villemereuil, P., Brekke, P., Lee, K. D., Ewen, J. G., & Santure, A. W. (2020). Polygenic basis for adaptive morphological variation in a threatened Aotearoa| New Zealand bird, the hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 287(1933), 20200948.

Ewen, J. G., Flux, I., & Ericson, P. G. (2006). Systematic affinities of two enigmatic New Zealand passerines of high conservation priority, the hihi or stitchbird Notiomystis cincta and the kokako Callaeas cinerea. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 40(1), 281-284.

Ewen, J. G., Renwick, R., Adams, L., Armstrong, D. P., Parker, K. A., & North, N. Z. D. (2013). 1980-2012: 32 years of re-introduction efforts of the hihi (stitchbird) in New Zealand. Global Re-introduction Perspectives: 2013. Further case studies from around the globe, 68.

Low, M. (2010). Which factors limited Stitchbird population growth on Mokoia Island?. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 269-271.

Low, M., & Pärt, T. (2009). Patterns of mortality for each life‐history stage in a population of the endangered New Zealand stitchbird. Journal of Animal Ecology, 78(4), 761-771.

Makan, T., Castro, I., Robertson, A. W., Joy, M. K., & Low, M. (2014). Habitat complexity and management intensity positively influence fledging success in the endangered hihi (Notiomystis cincta). New Zealand journal of ecology, 53-63.

Rasch, G. (1985). The ecology of cavity nesting in the stitchbird (Notiomystis cincta). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 12(4), 637-642.

Rippon, R. J., Alley, M. R., & Castro, I. (2011). Causes of mortality in a nestling population of free-living hihi (stitchbird—Notiomystis cincta). New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 38(3), 207-222.

Roper, M. M., & Brunton, D. H. (2024). Do hihi lose access to supplemental feeders because of the presence of korimako?. New Zealand Journal of Zoology, 51(2), 317-333.

Selwyn, R. E., Lenting, B., Beaven, K. C., & Irwin, E. T. (2022). Successful use of intraspecific parental fostering in the management of an endemic threatened bird: New Zealand’s hihi (Notiomystis cincta). Notornis, 69, 116-118.

Smith, C., Walker, L. K., & Ewen, J. G. (2015). Age and sex criteria for the hihi (Notiomystis cincta) with additional details on moult patterns. Notornis, 62(3), 135-142.

Book used for research:

Birdstories - Geoff Norman

Birds New Zealand - beauty like no other - Paul Gibson (2nd ed.)

Birds of New Zealand and Outlying Islands - M.F. Soper

Complete Book of New Zealand Birds - Readers Digest 

New Zealand Birds and how to identify them - Pérrine Moncrieff (5th ed.)

New Zealand’s Native Birds Of Bush And Countryside - Penguin Pocket Guides

The Brilliance of Birds - Skye Wishart & Edin Whitehead

The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand - Barrie Heather & Hugh Robertson