North Island saddleback (Philesturnus carunculatus rufusater)

September 2012, Tiritiri Matangi island, Auckland.

Saddlebacks are of the two surviving NZ wattlebirds (the other being the kokako, which I saw several of on Tiritiri but never managed to get a photograph of, not even a bad one!). Recently the two saddleback subspecies (North and South Island) have been split into two separate species, but I refuse to follow this taxonomic change!!