The melodious bellbird is still widespread but mammalian predators keep their numbers low. Most New Zealanders can easily recognise the bellbird by its song, which Captain Cook described as sounding ‘like small bells exquisitely tuned’. They have three distinct sounds, and songs vary enormously from one place to another. For example, a study in Christchurch found that birds in three patches of bush on the Port Hills all had different songs.
Bellbird / Korimako
