Bird Album
Yellowhead
Mohoua ochrocephala (Gmelin, JF, 1789)
28 gWeight
The yellowhead or mohua (Mohoua ochrocephala) is a small insectivorous passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand.
Busiest months: November · Most records: New Zealand
Where and when it's recorded
Yellowhead has been recorded at 8 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Rakiura NP – Ulva IslandNew Zealand1,253 records
- Ulva Island West EndNew Zealand281 records
- Fiordland NP – Lake Gunn Nature WalkNew Zealand127 records
More places
- Blumine Island | OruawairuaNew Zealand30 records
- Fiordland NP – Mirror LakesNew Zealand18 records
- Fiordland NP – Milford SoundNew Zealand10 records
- Stewart Island – Oban & Halfmoon BayNew Zealand8 records
- Stewart Island – Titi Islands PelagicNew Zealand1 record
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The yellowhead or mohua (Mohoua ochrocephala) is a small insectivorous passerine bird endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Once a common forest bird, its numbers declined drastically after the introduction of rats and stoats, and its IUCN conservation status is now near threatened.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Yellowhead?
The Yellowhead weighs around 28 g.
Where does the Yellowhead live?
Its breeding range: Australasia: South Island, Stewart Island (where extinct) and satellites (New Zealand). It is most often recorded in New Zealand.
When is the best time to see the Yellowhead?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Yellowhead endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellowhead as Near Threatened.
What does the Yellowhead eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Yellowhead in?
It belongs to the family Whiteheads (Mohouidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Weight
- 28 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Near Threatened
More measurements
- Wing
- 80 mm
- Tail
- 74 mm
- Bill
- 14 mm
- Tarsus
- 31 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Australasia: South Island, Stewart Island (where extinct) and satellites (New Zealand)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Whiteheads Mohouidae
- Genus
- Mohoua
Other birds in the genus Mohoua
WhiteheadMohoua albicilla
PipipiMohoua novaeseelandiae
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Ben Weatherley. ↗
Heard it but can't see it? Mingji identifies birds by sound and photo, on your phone.