The Fantail is one of the most common New Zealand birds that you will see. Here are 8 facts about this friendly, curious native New Zealand bird.
It seems like just about anytime I go for a walk in a park or forest in New Zealand I see one of these birds flying around. These birds are common throughout the country and are always nice to see. Their flying antics always offer a good excuse to take a break when tramping. They come so close that we often think if we just put out our hand they’ll land on it. Despite our attempts we have not yet persuaded one to land on us. Here are some fun facts about these birds to help you appreciate them more the next time you see one.
8 Fantail Facts
The New Zealand Fantail is a small songbird that is common in forests and parks on the North, South, and Stewart Islands.
They are an easily recognized bird both due to the coloration of their tails and their flight pattern. At times they will open up their tail feathers, looking like a fan. The two central feathers are black with white feathers on both sides. When they open their tail feathers it’s kind of like a person flicking open a Japanese fan. You’ll see it and then poof! it’s gone as they close their tail feathers just as quickly as they opened them up.
Their flight pattern is the second sure fire way to recognize them. They bob up and down in the air as they try to catch insects to eat. They use their broad tails to help them change directions quickly while in the air to catch insects.
Fantails are commonly seen near people. It is guessed that they do this to catch the insects that a person’s passing disturbs (feeding association is the official term for this). This is one of the three ways that they catch food. The second method is to sit on a perch with a good view and watch for insects in the air (hawking). The final method is to flush their prey (flushing). They’ll fly towards shrubs, disturbing insects, and then eat them when the insects fly into the air.
The Fantail is native, but not endemic to New Zealand. This means that it lives in New Zealand naturally, but it can still be found elsewhere. There are 10 sub-species of Fantails, three of which live in New Zealand.
Many New Zealand native or endemic birds have been decimated or wiped out by the introduced predators (mainly rats, stoats, and possums). Fantails are not immune to these predators and have had their populations impacted. They are still relatively common despite the predators. One reason for their apparent immunity to the introduced predators is the simple fact that they reproduce a lot. They reproduce and raise babies between 2 to 5 times a year.
The Maori name for Fantail is Piwakawaka. In Maori mythology the Fantail is responsible for bringing death into the world.
These birds don’t live very long. The oldest known Fantail in New Zealand was only 3 years old! They stay in breeding pairs all year long. Unfortunately, because of their high mortality rates a pair will seldom be together for more than one season due to the death of one or both birds.