tui

In addition to the 'tui' , another New Zealand species of honeyeater, known as the bellbird for its clear, bell-like call, commonly opens mistletoe flowers.

First there's the 'tui' , a grackle-size bird with blue-black and purple hues, filamentous white feathers woven through its nape and a white, tufty throat pompon worn like a bow tie.

When a 'tui' or a bellbird pops open a bud, all four petals spring back, and as the bird inserts its beak into the corolla to drink nectar, its head often brushes pollen onto the receptive stigma.

Bell-birds and 'tuis' - forest birds in the nectar-feeding family called honeyeaters - have brushlike tongues that enable them to lap up honeydew drops easily.

Furthermore, when the bellbirds, 'tuis' , kaka, and native insectivorous birds attempt to feed on native invertebrates, they again face competition from wasps, which devour spiders, caterpillars, ants, bees, and flies.