Alternative name: New Zealand Brown Creeper; Brown Creeper
- Mohoua novaeseelandiae
Finschia novaeseelandiae
Identification
12.5 - 13.5cm
- Reddish brown crown, back, rump and tail
- Ash grey face and neck
- Small white stripe behind eye
- Light buff underparts
- Dark bar near tip of tail
Sexes similar, juveniles too.
Distribution
South Island of New Zealand.
Locally common.
Taxonomy
Monotypic. Formerly placed in monotypic genus Finschia, the Pipipi is one of only three species in the new Mohouidae family, all confined to New Zealand. These birds were formerly included in other families but recent genetic work found they form a clade basal to a larger Corvid assemblage.
Habitat
Forest and scrub. Found in native and exotic forests. Occurs from sea-level to alpine scrub.
Behaviour
Usually seen in fast moving noisy flocks high in the canopy. Resident species.
Diet
Diet includes insects which are gleaned from branches and leaves. They have strong legs and toes for hanging upside down while feeding.
Breeding
Breeding season from September to February. The nest is a deep cup made of bark strips, moss, lichens and dead leaves. It's placed around 4 - 7m above the ground in an upright tree fork, usually covered with dense vegetation. Lays 2 - 3 eggs. One of the three only known hosts of the Long-tailed Koel.
Vocalisations
Song of male 5–14 loud whistles, slurs and harsh notes, that of female 4–9 rapid, brief notes, the last being longer and prolonged.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Christidis et al. 2018. The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World, version 4.1 (Downloadable checklist). Accessed from https://www.howardandmoore.org.
- Gill, F & D Donsker (Eds). 2018. IOC World Bird List (v8.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.8.2. Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
- Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2007. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553422
- Aidala, Z., N. Chong, M.G. Anderson, L. Ortiz-]Catedral, I.G. Jamieson, J.V. Briskie, P. Cassey, B.J. Gill & M.E. Hauber. (2013). Phylogenetic relationships of the genus Mohoua, endemic hosts of New Zealand's obligate brood parasitic Long-tailed Cuckoo (Eudynamys taitensis).Journal of Ornithology, 154: 1127-1133.
- Boles, W. (2017). New Zealand Brown Creeper (Mohoua novaeseelandiae). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from http://www.hbw.com/node/59382 on 30 January 2017).
- McKinlay, B. 2013. Brown creeper. In Miskelly, C.M. (ed.) New Zealand Birds Online. http://www.nzbirdsonline.org.nz
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Pipipi. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Pipipi
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
