Stitchbirds are medium-sized songbirds recognisable by wren-like cocked tail, bold white wing-bar and fast movements in mid canopy. Males have a black head with white ear tufts, yellow neck and shoulder band, white wing-bar and greyish-brown body. Females are greyish-brown apart from the white wing bar.

What does a hihi bird look like?

The hihi is a sparrow-sized bird with white wing bars. Females are drab olive. Males are more brightly coloured, with black heads, white ear tufts and bright yellow shoulders. They have whisker-like bristles at the corners of their beak and perch with their tail held very erect.

Where are Stitchbird found?

The stitchbird or hihi (Notiomystis cincta) is a honeyeater-like bird endemic to the North Island and adjacent offshore islands of New Zealand. Its evolutionary relationships have long puzzled ornithologists, but it is now classed as the only member of its own family, the Notiomystidae.