Korimako
Bellbird
Anthornis melanura
Their Story
The beautiful, melodic calls of bellbirds (korimako or makomako) can be heard throughout the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. Their song is similar to that of the tūī, though purer in tone and with fewer grunts, clicks and wheezes.
Bellbirds and tūī belong to the honeyeater family (Meliphagidae), a large group of 182 species mostly found in Australia and New Guinea, but also extending from Sulawesi to Samoa. Bellbirds and tūī are the only honeyeaters found in Aotearoa. It is thought that a common ancestor arrived from Australia around 33 million years ago, with the two species diverging just under 3 million years ago.
Both species have brush-tipped tongues adapted for feeding on nectar and honeydew, the sugary secretion of scale insects that live on beech trees. They also eat fruit and invertebrates, playing an important role in pollination and seed dispersal.
Male bellbirds are olive green with bluish-black wings and tail feathers and a purplish tint on the head. Females are browner with a white cheek stripe and a soft bluish tint on the head. Both sexes have red eyes, while juveniles are duller with brown eyes and pale cheek stripes. Notches on their wing feathers create a distinctive whirring sound in flight, especially during territorial disputes.
Breeding takes place from September to February. Pairs usually mate for life, reusing the same breeding territory each year. Females build deep, bowl-shaped nests in dense vegetation and lay 2–4 eggs, which hatch after about two weeks. Both parents feed the chicks until they fledge at 11–20 days and become independent at around 40 days.
Outside the breeding season, bellbirds often roam in search of food and can be seen sharing feeding sites. Once common throughout New Zealand, their numbers declined after European arrival due to habitat loss, competition with possums, and possibly disease. Within the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary, however, bellbirds have flourished since pest eradication in 2017 — their numbers in five-minute bird counts have more than doubled since then.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Populations have rebounded strongly in predator-free areas like the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary.
Population
Widespread throughout New Zealand in native and regenerating forest, pine forest, and gardens near suitable habitat. Abundant within the Sanctuary, where numbers continue to rise.
Voice
A clear, bell-like song, pure in tone and rich in variety. The rhythmic notes carry across the forest and are often heard at dawn and dusk.
Food
Feeds on nectar, honeydew, fruit and invertebrates. Plays an important role in pollination and seed dispersal of native plants.
Medium-sized songbirds with curved bills and brush-tipped tongues. They have a streamlined body with long forked tails. Males are olive-green with a purplish hue on the head. Females are browner, with a pale cheek stripe and softer tones. Both have red eyes, while juveniles are duller with brown eyes and faint cheek stripes. Their wings make a distinct whirring sound in flight, especially during territorial chases.
Korimako are active and vocal, often fighting with tūī and other korimako. They use their brush-like tongues to feed on nectar and honeydew — the sugary secretion produced by scale insects on beech trees — as well as fruit and insects. This diet makes them essential pollinators and seed dispersers within native forests.
Breeding occurs from September to February. Pairs usually mate for life, maintaining the same territory each season. Females build deep, bowl-shaped nests of twigs, moss, and plant fibres in dense vegetation. Clutches of three to five eggs are incubated for about two weeks, with both parents feeding the chicks. Young birds fledge at around 20 days and become independent around 40 days after hatching.
Korimako are found across most of New Zealand, including offshore islands, in forest, scrub, and regenerating bush. They are the most conspicuous birds in South Island beech forests.
Once widespread, korimako populations declined after European settlement due to habitat loss, introduced predators, and competition with possums for food. They are now classed as Not Threatened but remain at very low densities and are dependent on predator control and healthy native forest ecosystems. Pest-free sanctuaries like the Brook play a key role in ensuring their long-term recovery.
Korimako have become one of the Sanctuary’s most visible success stories. Since the completion of the predator-proof fence and pest eradication in 2017, their population has more than doubled. Their song is now a defining feature of the Sanctuary soundscape — a daily reminder of restoration in action. Their abundance ensures high rates of plant pollination and dispersal, greatly increasing the mauri of the ngahere.
🪶 Korimako and tūī share a common ancestor that arrived from Australia about 33 million years ago, making them New Zealand’s only native honeyeaters.
Our other residents
Check out some of the other incredible wildlife that call the Sanctuary home
Follow us on Instagram
@brooksanctuary
Share your photos with #brooksanctuary
🪶 Ngahere Neighbourhood: piriwai (spiny gilled mayfly)
Tiny, ancient, and found only in Aotearoa — the spiny gilled mayfly (Coloburiscus humeralis) spends up to four years underwater before living just a few days as an adult.
Piriwai can only survive in clean, fast-flowing streams. Its larvae cling to river rocks, filtering food from the water with tiny hair-like gills. They are an important sign of healthy freshwater ecosystems, so much so that this species gets a rating of 8-9 on the sensitivity/stream health rating. All native stream macroinvertebrates are ranked in terms of their sensitivity and used as a bioindicator of stream health.
The Sanctuary stream is a reference site for stream health and represents a `pure`, unadulterated site and thus is highly diverse in sensitive stream invertebrates.
📸 Photo: Taken by Henry Hart here at the Sanctuary
#NgahereNeighbourhood #BrookSanctuary #AotearoaNature #FreshwaterLife #NelsonTasman #Conservation #Piriwai
Feb 17
Their Raucous Call Returns: Kākā Set to Reclaim the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary. 🦜
This March, we’re scheduled to welcome two male and one female kākā fledglings from the Dunedin Botanic Garden kākā breeding programme. There’s also the potential for a further four birds to arrive in May.
Kākā are unique to Aotearoa and are nationally vulnerable, with populations heavily impacted by introduced predators. Releasing them into a pest-free sanctuary with ideal habitat (old growth beech forest) gives them the best chance to thrive.
This release will build on years of species translocations as part of the Sanctuary’s ambitious ecosystem restoration efforts, including:
🏠 Kākāriki karaka in 2021
🏠 Powelliphanta hochstetteri consobrina (giant snails) in 2021
🏠 Tuatara in November 2024 and May 2025
🏠 Kiwi in May 2025
Over the coming weeks, our team will be busy planning and preparing for this important translocation. We’ll share more details on timing and what to expect closer to the date.
Thank you to our community of donors, volunteers, business supporters, and Sanctuary Members for continuing to back the Sanctuary — your support is vital to every species return. We can’t wait to celebrate this next milestone with you.
#BrookWaimāramaSanctuary #Kākā #ConservationNZ #NelsonNZ #PredatorFree #NativeWildlife #Biodiversity
Feb 10
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
