AVITOPIA - Whiteheads

The only three species in the family of Mohouas are endemic to New Zealand. They have only recently been given the rank of family of their own after having previously been assigned to various other families. The body size ranges from 12.5 cm to 15 cm. They have a short neck and a relatively large head. Their habitat is native forests, also in the mountains. They live mainly on insects supplemented by spiders and small fruits and often hang upside down from the branch when foraging. The deep cup-shaped nests are built by the females. The clutch size is 2 to 4 eggs, which are often incubated in a cooperative process. Mohouas are the only host birds for the parasitic Long-tailed Koel, which throws all of the host's eggs out of the nest and replaces them with a single one of her own.