Piwakawaka - fantail - Rhipidura fulginosa
One of New Zealand's favourite birds - often accompanying walkers in forest or along riversides.
16 cm.,including long fanned tail, 8g., pied bird hs grey head, white eyebrow, brown back, yellow underparts, black and white tail., juvenile similar but browner body; black phase, sooty black but for white spot behind the eye.
A pair of fantails raise three or four families, each with three or four chicks each summer. It is hard work. The chicks are fed every 10 minutes, which is more than 100 times a day! No wonder baby fantails grow fast. 15 days after hatching blind and naked, the chicks have grown feathers and are ready to leave the nest.
Cats, rats, stoats and mynas are the fantails' enemies. Of all their eggs and chicks, only a few survive and grow up.
Fantails mostly live on forest edges and in scrub habitats. They can often be seen in town in parks and gardens. Fantails will usually be seen alone or in pairs during summer, but will often form flocks during the winter. Fantails occasionally eat fruit and berries, but they mostly eat insects. Fantails are very good at catching insects in the air - they can change direction very quickly when they are flying.
Piwakawaka - fantail - Rhipidura fulginosa
One of New Zealand's favourite birds - often accompanying walkers in forest or along riversides.
16 cm.,including long fanned tail, 8g., pied bird hs grey head, white eyebrow, brown back, yellow underparts, black and white tail., juvenile similar but browner body; black phase, sooty black but for white spot behind the eye.
A pair of fantails raise three or four families, each with three or four chicks each summer. It is hard work. The chicks are fed every 10 minutes, which is more than 100 times a day! No wonder baby fantails grow fast. 15 days after hatching blind and naked, the chicks have grown feathers and are ready to leave the nest.
Cats, rats, stoats and mynas are the fantails' enemies. Of all their eggs and chicks, only a few survive and grow up.
Fantails mostly live on forest edges and in scrub habitats. They can often be seen in town in parks and gardens. Fantails will usually be seen alone or in pairs during summer, but will often form flocks during the winter. Fantails occasionally eat fruit and berries, but they mostly eat insects. Fantails are very good at catching insects in the air - they can change direction very quickly when they are flying.