tauhou
Tauhou is the Māori name for the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), a small bird found throughout New Zealand.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1973 · no dated citations yetDefinitions
Tauhou is the Māori name for the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), a small bird found throughout New Zealand. The name translates literally to 'stranger' or 'newcomer', reflecting the fact that silvereyes are believed to have self-introduced to New Zealand from Australia in the mid-19th century. The word is used in New Zealand English alongside 'silvereye', and is the preferred term in conservation and ecological contexts where Māori naming conventions are observed. The bird is recognisable by the distinctive white ring around its eye.
A small flock of tauhou had moved into the garden hedgerow and were working their way through the berries.
Comments
(New Zealand) A silvereye, a bird of species .
Comments
Have a better definition?
Add your own interpretation of "tauhou".
🗺️About Regional & Other slang
Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.
Tags
Other words near "tauhou" (T)
Browse all slang words starting with T.
Related terms
People also read
Semantically related
- wax-eye68%
An Australian and New Zealand name for the silvereye (Zosterops lateralis), a small greenish bird with a distinctive white ring around each eye that gives it its appearance of having a wax or glass eye. Wax-eyes are common garden birds in both countries, often visiting in flocks and feeding on fruit, nectar, and insects. The name is more common in New Zealand; Australians may also call them 'white-eyes.'
- kukupa63%
The Maori name for the New Zealand pigeon (Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae), a large, striking native bird with iridescent green and bronze plumage and a distinctive white breast. Kukupa is widely used in New Zealand alongside the alternative Maori name 'kereru,' and both names appear in everyday conversation, conservation writing, and news media. The bird is a taonga (treasure) species for Maori and plays an important ecological role as a seed disperser for native trees. It is also known for its loud, whooshing wingbeats.
- pihoihoi61%
Pihoihoi is a Maori name used in New Zealand for the Australasian pipit — a small, brown, ground-dwelling songbird found across New Zealand's open grasslands and coasts. The name is onomatopoeic in Maori tradition, echoing the bird's piping call. As a dictionary entry it is primarily of ornithological and linguistic interest — a reminder that New Zealand English freely incorporates Maori bird names into everyday nature vocabulary. The entry appears incomplete in the source data.
- wax-eye60%
(AU, NZ) A bird of the genus ; a silvereye.