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
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🪶 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
