Mohoua

Mohouidae is a family of birds in which Mohoua and Finschia are the only genera of three bird species endemic to New Zealand.

Etymology
The Latin genus name is taken from either mohuahua or momohua - both Māori names for the Yellowhead.

Taxonomy
The Mohouas have been included in many families, including Paridae, Timaliidae, Orthonychidae, Campephagidae, Sylviidae, Maluridae, Acanthizidae (=Pardalotidae ) and Pachycephalidae (as a subfamily, Mohouinae. )

Species

 * Whitehead, Mohoua albicilla
 * Yellowhead, Mohoua ochrocephala

The Pipipi, or Brown Creeper is now placed in Finschia; however, it is sometimes included in Mohoua.

Description
All three species display some degree of sexual dimorphism in terms of size, with the males being the larger of the two sexes.

Behaviour
Mohoua are gregarious (more so outside the breeding season) and usually forage in groups. They also forage in mixed species flocks at times, frequently forming the nucleus of such flocks. Unlike most species of Pachycephalidae, social organization and behaviour is well documented for all three Mohoua species; Cooperative breeding has been observed in all three species and is common in the Whitehead and Yellowhead. The three species of this genus are the sole hosts for the Long-tailed Cuckoo which acts as a Brood parasite upon them, pushing their eggs out of the nest and laying a single one of its own in their place so that they take no part in incubation of their eggs or in raising their young.