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PAKU VIEWS
ISSUE 4 AUTUMN/WINTER 2012
E
asily recognized by its long tail which
opens to a fan, the fantail, also known as
pi-wakawaka, is one of New Zealand’s most-
loved birds, topping a national poll as Bird of
the Year in 2006.
One of the fondest memories of early visits to NZ was
my first encounter with the fantail. I can see why this
charming bird is often referred to as “the friendly
forest ballerina”.
American friend and travelling companion Pam Parker
and I were cheerfully greeted by one on a walk in the
Broken Hills Recreation Area in Hikuai. This cheeky
character delighted in flying around us in short
acrobatic circles before proudly opening his tail for
us. Much like a flirtatious guide, he stayed with us
for most of the two-hour trek, appearing so tame
and friendly it looked as if he would land on Pam’s
shoulder several times. (We were in good company
— it is said that Kupe’s canoe was also greeted by
Piwakawaka on its return voyage to Aotearoa.)
I have since learned that this little bird may have had
ulterior motives — to lunch on sandflies and other
insects disturbed by our activity. Their main prey are
moths, flies, spiders, wasps, and beetles, although
they sometimes eat fruit.
As this little fly-catcher followed us, he was using
a hunting method called feeding association. These
opportunists will frequently hunt insects by following
other birds like silvereyes, whiteheads, parakeets and
saddlebacks as well as humans.
Other methods include flushing and hawking. Fantails
use their broad tail to change direction quickly,
flushing out insects in denser vegetation. They can
even hop upside-down amongst tree ferns and
foliage to pick insects from the underside of leaves.
The hawking method is used where vegetation is
open. Fantails perch to spot swarms of insects in the
distance and then fly at the prey, snapping up several
at once.
Fantails are devoted couples, choosing a mate for life,
which unfortunately tends to be quite short in New
Zealand (the oldest bird recorded here was only 3
years old, although they have been recorded up to 10
in Australia). Their prolific breeding keeps the overall
population thriving, and both help with nesting and
feeding chores.
Females may lay as many as five broods per season.
Soon after the eggs hatch, the female starts building
the next nest and the male takes over feeding — a big
job since young are fed about every 10 minutes — up
to a hundred meals a day. The baby fantails (who hatch
naked), grow feathers quickly, and are out on their own
in only two weeks. They mature fast and are soon pairing
up and starting nests of their own.
If you’re lucky enough to spot a fantail’s nest, you will
probably see it compactly built into the Y of a tree branch,
very secure, with nesting material of fibres, moss and
bark and sometimes lined with cobwebs. If you could
peek inside, you would see white speckled eggs.
The fantail is one of the few native bird species that
has been able to adapt to an environment greatly
altered by humans. Originally a bird of open native
forests and scrub, it is now also found in exotic
plantation forests, orchards and gardens.
The fantail have also been great favourites with Maori,
playing a prominent role in many legends. As delightful
as the fantail is, the bird also has a mythic reputation
for being a jinx, even representing death. What’s the
story with that? See “Legend has it” on next page.
by Tovi Daly