A North Island Saddleback with a pollen covered forehead, feeds on the flowers of a Flax on Tiritiri Matangi Island in the Hauraki Gulf of Auckland, New Zealand..Only one of three New Zealand species of Wattlebirds, the other two being the Kokako and the extinct Huia, the Saddleback with its chestnut saddle and bright red fleshy appendages either side of the beak are now more commonly found on predator free offshore islands and in mainland sanctuaries. Their habit of feeding on and nesting near the forest floor made them very susceptible to predation by the many introduced mammals, to the point that they vanished from the mainland..Most commonly feeding on insects and other invertebrates and fruits they will also take nectar when available, especially from the flowers of the New Zealand Flax.
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