Yellowhead (bird)

Yellow head or Mohua

The yellow head ( in New Zealand Yellowhead or Mohua Maori, Mohoua ochrocephala ) is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.

The yellow head, together with the white head (M. albicilla) and M. novaeseelandiae the endemic New Zealand passerine genus Mohoua. Since 2013, the genus in the new monotypic family Mohouidae is provided.

Yellow head and white heads have taken a sympatric development. The yellow head it developed in the South Island, the white head on the North Island and several small surrounding islands. Even in the 1800s was the kind common, especially in beech forests of Nelson and the Marlborough Sounds to the region Southland Stewart and Iceland / Rakiura. Beginning of the 20th century the kind of introduced rats and mustelids have been decimated. Today, they have disappeared from 75 % of its original area of ​​distribution. In New Zealand, the Mohua has the status of a protected endangered species by the IUCN, the species is classified as endangered. For the conservation of the species, it was settled on several free of entrained robbers islands such as Iceland Breaksea in Fiordland and on Ulva Iceland.

The yellow head is depicted on the back of the 100 New Zealand dollar certificate.