This is Bird Note.

The toee is one of New Zealand's most remarkable birds.

It's considered an intelligent bird on a level with parrots.

And the foot-long tooi is a stunner, feathered in black with a blue iridescent sheen. A distinctive white feather

tuft puffs out of its neck like an ascot. The towey's down-curved beak fits perfectly into native

flowers, where it feeds on nectar while spreading pollen from flower to flower. Tewy also eat native fruits and help disperse

the seeds. Tewy aggressively defend their feeding territory of flowering trees from competing nectar

seekers. If a raptor threatens, Tewy will fly quickly upward, then dive down on the unwelcome

predator with whirring wings.

But the toi is best known for its voice.

Each toi's complex song is slightly different, a colorful mix of musical notes and

offbeat sounds.

A And the most surprising thing about that voice,

Tui are only one of a handful of birds in the world that can imitate human speech.

And they do it with a New Zealand accent.

Hi. You're up here. Do you want to swim?

For bird notes, I'm Mary McCann.