WE'RE SAVING LIVES WITH... MISTLETOE!

KRISTY IS DETERMINED TO PROTECT A SPECIAL BIRD

- By Ruth McCarthy

Scanning the forest canopy, Kristy Peters' heart soared when she heard the faint melodious song of the rare Regent Honeyeater. The striking birds, with their black and lemon-yellow plumage, were fluttering around the blossoming trees and mistletoe in their habitat in NSW's Hunter Region. “It’s always a joy to see them as they are so rare,” Kristy, 45, tells New Idea. The Regent Honeyeater is listed as critically endangered with only 300 left in the wild. And its unlikely saviour? Mistletoe! The plant, known for its romantic Christmas traditions, provides these birds with food, shelter and nest sites. However after bushfires swept through t