Popokatea
Mohoua albicilla
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyAcanthizidae (Thornbills and Allies)
- GenusMohoua (New Zealand Creepers)
- SpeciesMohoua albicilla (Popokatea)
The whitehead (Mohoua albicilla; Māori: pōpokotea) is a species of small (15 cm in length, 18.5/14.5 g.) passerine bird endemic to New Zealand. It is classified in the family Mohouidae. The male whitehead's upperparts, wings and tail are a pale brown in colour, while the head and underparts are white – in the case of the male an almost pure white in colour. Females and juveniles have similar colouration except that the nape and crown (top of the head) are shaded brown. The black beak and eyes contrast with the white head and the feet are bluish black in colouration. Formerly quite common and widespread in native forests in the North Island, the whitehead has suffered a marked decline in the past two centuries since European colonisation and today it is restricted to a fraction of its former range. Wikipedia →
40–50% of wildlife watchers report a Popokatea sighting in Tongariro National Park, based on 163 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Tongariro National Park
Grey Warbler
Gerygone igata
New Zealand Fantail
Rhipidura fuliginosa
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Silvereye
Zosterops lateralis
Tūī
Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Welcome Swallow
Hirundo neoxena
New Zealand Bellbird
Anthornis melanura
Miromiro
Petroica macrocephala
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelos
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Eurasian Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tongariro National Park | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Popokatea in Tongariro National Park?
About 46% of wildlife watchers report a Popokatea sighting in Tongariro National Park, based on 163 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Popokatea in Tongariro National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Popokatea in Tongariro National Park in our monthly data.