tui

American  

[too-ee] / ˈtu i /

noun

1. a black New Zealand honey eater, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae, having a patch of white feathers on each side of the throat, sometimes tamed as a pet.

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tui British  

/ ˈtuːɪ /

noun

1. a New Zealand honeyeater, Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae , having a glossy bluish-green plumage with white feathers at the throat: it mimics human speech and the songs of other birds

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Etymology

Origin of tui

First recorded in 1825–35, tui is from the Maori word tūī

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tui

Toni Williams, 52, who lives on the Banks Peninsula, said he has seen a three- or fourfold increase in the number of tui, a native bird, at a feeder near his house.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2024

As a result, conservation groups sued the agency, saying it would potentially harm sage grouse, a species whose population is listed as "sensitive," as well as the Owens tui chub, an endangered fish.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2023

“The Fish Lake Valley tui chub is staring extinction in the face because of the catastrophic overuse of groundwater in its native range,” said Patrick Donnelly, Great Basin director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 23, 2022

When New Zealanders hear the sound of a tui, it makes them very happy.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 30, 2017

Gone are the forest birds, arboreal things, Eaters of honey, honey-sweet in song; The tui, and the bell-bird—he who sings That brief rich music one would fain prolong.'

From Austral English A dictionary of Australasian words, phrases and usages with those aboriginal-Australian and Maori words which have become incorporated in the language, and the commoner scientific words that have had their origin in Australasia by Morris, Edward Ellis