Jon SullivanSep 20, 2025

The kōwhai trees are in fabulous full bloom across Ōtautahi-Christchurch city, NZ. They're blooming about a month late this year and are making up for that with a huge number of flowers.

That's making the korimako and kererū in the Cashmere hills happy. The korimako are pollinating the kōwhai flowers, which I guess also makes the kōwhai happy, to the extent that a kōwhai tree can be happy. The kererū, on the other hand, are eating the kowhai's flowers and young leaves.

korimako: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/315198237
kererū: https://inaturalist.nz/observations/315196715

#NZ #nature #Christchurch #Ōtautahi #birds #pollination #herbivory #Anthornis #Hemiphaga #kererū #korimako

Mr SprogApr 28, 2024
Kēreru (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae) at the tip top of a tree.

Photo by my son who took my camera and wandered up closer to the subject.

#Canon #bird #birds #pigeon #Hemiphaga #iNaturalist

https://inaturalist.nz/observations/209943006
Kererū (New Zealand Pigeon) (Subspecies Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae novaeseelandiae)

New Zealand Pigeon from North Island / Te Ika-a-Māui, Taupiri, Waikato, NZ on April 27, 2024 at 03:03 PM by stephen-ao

iNaturalist NZ
Jon SullivanJan 1, 2023
Here's all the kererū I saw in 2022 along my standard run routes through Ōtautahi-Christchurch. Kererū are large fruit & leaf eating forest pigeons. They're most common in native bush of the Port Hills, plus enjoy the fruit of all the wild poroporo that's grown up after the fires. They venture into the suburbs at the base of the hills, especially when garden plums are fruiting. Also, some now breed in the Botanic Gardens!
#EcologicalMonitoring #WildCounts #Birds #AotearoaNZ #kererū #Hemiphaga