Miromiro / Ngirungiru
South Island Tomtit
Petroica macrocephala macrocephala
Their Story
If you were to design a bird for cuteness, you’d struggle to outdo the tomtit — a mix between a fantail, Tweety Bird and a panda. Belonging to the same genus as the New Zealand robin (kakaruai), tomtits are endemic to Aotearoa and, like robins, feed mainly on insects and small invertebrates such as spiders and worms. While robins forage mostly near the ground, tomtits move through all levels of the forest.
There are five subspecies of tomtit (Petroica macrocephala): North Island, South Island, Chatham Island, Snares Island and Auckland Island. The Māori name for the North Island tomtit is miromiro, and for the South Island tomtit ngirungiru. Males are generally black and white (except the all-black Snares Island tomtit), while females are grey-brown and white. South, Chatham and Auckland Island males have a yellow tinge on their breasts.
Tomtits live in native and exotic forests and shrublands, maintaining year-round territories of about four hectares. The South Island breeding season runs from September to February, with up to three clutches of three to six eggs. Females build the nest and incubate the eggs while the male brings food; both parents feed the chicks. Later in the season, the female may leave fledglings with the male while she builds a new nest for another clutch.
Within the predator-free Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, tomtit numbers have flourished — the average number detected during five-minute bird counts has tripled since 2017, from 7 to over 21 per 100 counts.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Populations are stable but vulnerable to predation by introduced mammals, especially rats.
Population
Found throughout Aotearoa in both native and exotic forests. Within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, monitoring shows a threefold increase since 2017.
Voice
A clear, melodious song of short trills and whistles. Tomtits call frequently, often from perches within the forest canopy.
Food
Feeds on insects, spiders, worms and other small invertebrates, foraging from the forest floor to the canopy.
Tomtits are small, compact songbirds with large heads, short bills, and rounded bodies. Males are mostly black with a pale yellow belly, while females are brownish-grey with pale underparts. Their cheerful chirps and distinctive male plumage make them easy to spot as they hop through branches or across tracks.
Tomtits are active insect hunters, foraging among foliage and tree trunks or swooping to catch prey mid-air. They feed on insects, spiders, worms, and other invertebrates, occasionally taking small fruit. They maintain territories year-round, using short, sharp calls to communicate with their mates and to ward off intruders.
Breeding occurs from September to February, with females building the nest — a tidy cup of moss, grass, and plant fibres — usually in a tree cavity or fork. Clutches of three to six eggs are incubated by the female, while the male provides food. Both parents feed the chicks once hatched. Pairs may raise up to three broods per season, with males sometimes caring for fledglings while females start a new nest.
There are five recognised subspecies of tomtit across New Zealand’s main and offshore islands. In the South Island, ngirungiru inhabit native and regenerating forests, shrublands, and exotic plantations. Within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, they thrive throughout the beech forest.
Tomtits are currently listed as Not Threatened but remain vulnerable to predation by rats, stoats, and cats — especially during nesting. Habitat degradation and loss of forest cover also reduce suitable breeding sites. They have declined throughout their range and remain at low densities. Sustained predator control and protected environments like the Brook Sanctuary are key to their continued recovery.
Tomtits are one of the Sanctuary’s restoration success stories. Since pest eradication in 2017, their encounter rate has tripled in five-minute bird counts. Once a rare sight among the higher elevation forest, ngirungiru are now frequently encountered, even being seen from the dam bridge! The restoration of their population has reinstated their role in the ngahere as another small insect hunter and is another sign of increasing biodiversity.
🪶 Tomtits are close relatives of the New Zealand robins — both belonging to the Petroica genus and often exhibit similar friendly, inquisitive behaviour toward people
Our other residents
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Win prizes for your best summer photo at the Sanctuary 📸🏆☀️
This season, we want to see the Sanctuary through your lens — the bright light through the canopy, the textures of the forest floor, and the tiny details that make summer feel alive.
Enter our Summer Photography Competition (part of our Sanctuary Seasons series) and you could win:
🏆 Instant camera (Junior Photography winner)
🌙 Family ticket to a guided night tour
📰 Feature in our newsletter + social media
🖼️ Printed display at the Visitor Centre
📅 Entries close 28 February - Submit your entries via our website: Link in bio
Photo credit: Helen Power - Entry from the spring photography competition
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #SanctuarySeasons #Ngahere #NaturePhotography #NZWildlife #NelsonTasman #VisitNelson #NZHikes #EcoTourismNZ #ConservationStorytelling
Feb 4
Looking for a unique and memorable date night? 🌙🌲
This February, we’re introducing Date Me Darling — private, curated date nights inside the Sanctuary at dusk.
Three styled locations. One couple at a time. You’ll have a styled spot along the main loop track, locally sourced food and drinks, a few games to share, and time to slow down together as the forest shifts into evening.
Beech Glade: for when you want the world to fall away — deeply hidden, totally private, just you and the hush of the forest.
River: crystal clear water, canopy above, flickering lights — the kind of setup you usually only see on Instagram.
Meadow: open sky, long grass, and the forest standing quietly at the edges like it knows not to interrupt.
Bookings are open now (limited spaces in February only so don’t miss out!): Link in bio
#DateMeDarling #NelsonNZ #NelsonTasman #ThingsToDoNelson #DateNightIdeas #NatureLovers #SupportLocalNZ #ConservationNZ #BrookWaimāramaSanctuary
Feb 3
Two cute to be true?
Brook Waimārama Sanctuary and @savethekiwinz teams have been busy over the past few days tracking and recapturing kiwi to remove their transmitters. Thanks to a huge team effort, all ten males were recaptured within just three days.
Some nest burrows held a surprise or two — in several cases a female was present, and a couple even contained chicks. One burrow amazed us all, with not one but two adorable chicks 😍
All chicks are fully independent at this stage of the season, and after quick health checks and transmitter removal, all adult kiwi were safely returned to their burrows.
This special footage was captured by kiwi handler Tamsin from Save the Kiwi, who led the transmitter removal mahi.
We estimate the 20 females and 21 males released in May last year have already produced around 10–15 kiwi pukupuku (little spotted kiwi) chicks in their very first breeding season — a strong sign the habitat is just right.
With transmitters now removed from all ten males, the kiwi are completely free, with no further handling needed. Annual kiwi call counts by staff and volunteers will help track the growing population across our 690 ha, ring-fenced, pest-free sanctuary.
Credit: Video courtesy of Tamsin Ward-Smith, Save the Kiwi
Thanks to our partnership with @terunangaotoa Ngati Toa and Save the Kiwi
#kiwipukupuku #littlespottedkiwi #brookwaimaramasanctuary #nelson #thetopofthesouth #conservation #biodiversity #nativebirds #natureloversnz #newzealandwildlife #pestfree #ringfencedsanctuary #conservationinaction
Jan 29
🎻 45 min string quartet concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary
Come and hear a dynamic young string quartet perform a 45 min concert at Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. We welcome everyone to come along, and bring anyone you think might be curious to hear some classical music in a relaxed environment.
The @antipodes.quartet is part of the Fellowship Ensemble Programme, a joint venture between the @adamchambermusicfestival, @newzealandstringquartet and @chambermusicnz, as a career-development experience offered to four of this country’s most promising young string players.
The Antipodes Quartet are Eden Annesley (violin), Mana Waiariki (violin), Tal Amoore (viola) and Lavinnia Rae (cello).
On this occasion, Brook Waimārama Sanctuary are welcoming everyone at local prices: Adult $15, Child $9; Family $35 (on the door)
Find out more: (Link in bio)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #NelsonNZ #Whakatū #WhatsonNelson #NelsonTasman #LiveMusicNZ #ChamberMusicNZ #StringQuartet #ClassicalMusicNZ #AdamChamberMusicFestival #NewZealandStringQuartet #ChamberMusicNewZealand #FamilyFriendly #NatureAndCulture #SupportLocalArts
Jan 27
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
Kahuwai | Black Tunnelweb Spider
Porrhothele antipodiana
I have a mixed history with this incredible spider. One hairy individual decided that my jersey pocket was a great place to set up shop. It received a rude awakening upon the home invasion of my unaware hand. Its brilliant fangs pierced and invenomated my finger, and despite the swelling and the shock and the pain… I couldn’t help but feel bad for evicting the guy. Its hobbit-like hole dwelling nature led the spider to my soft, warm pocket. Ironically, but not surprisingly, this species was the inspiration for Peter Jackson’s ‘Shelob’ in the Lord of the Rings films.
Kahuwai, the black tunnelweb spider, forms dense sheets of silk surrounding their tunnels. These sheets are monitored by the spider, who detects vibrations of a passer by. Wētā, land hoppers and any other unlucky invertebrate. The kahuwai swiftly grabs its prey and drags it into the depths. This spider however is also the victim of the endemic golden hunter wasp, who paralyses the spider before dragging it into the wasp’s nest (talk about shoes on the other foot!) and laying an egg beside it. The spider then becomes baby formula.
Despite the bite, this amazing spider has my vote! Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Photo: @henry._.hart (in the second image of Shelob`s lair you can see a giant pill millipede has fallen victim...)
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 25
2026 Bug of the year is here!
The lesser known cousin to bird of the year has come around(wait till they hear about fish or fungus of the year). This showdown aims to highlight the critters that go underappreciated compared to celebrity species like kākāpō. We would like to highlight the strange and wonderful species that occur within the Sanctuary, with the hopes to earn your vote!
This candidate is the beautifully disguised Rō, the Two-Spined Stick Insect. Micrachus hystriculeus is endemic to central Aotearoa, most common from Nelson, through Marlborough and Wellington. Stick insects display a classic example of crypsis. That is, their behaviour and physiology work in tandem to remain completely undetected and unharmed. They feed on leaves high in the canopy of trees like kānuka. At night you can often spot them, usually with the small males riding on the backs of the much larger females.
All modern New Zealand stick insects are the relatives of two colonisation events from New Caledonia around 30 million years ago. They radiated into nine separate genera and dispersed into coastal, lowland and subalpine ecosystems throughout the motu. This species, alongside at least five other stick insect species, live out their slow and sticky lives within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Will you vote for Micrachus hystriculeus? Check out the New Zealand Bug Of the Year 2026 website! Voting closes on the 16th of February!
Stay tuned for our last candidate…
Photo: Saryu Mae - @invertebratist
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #BugOfTheYear
Jan 24
