Wild Bird Wednesday 647 - New Zealand Fantail / Pīwakawaka

The New Zealand Fantail or Pīwakawaka (Rhipidura fuliginosa) is a small, active bird found throughout much of New Zealand.

It has a distinctive fanned tail and loud song, and often approaches within a metre or two of people. Its wide distribution and habitat preferences, including frequenting well-treed urban parks and gardens, means that most people encounter fantails occasionally. 

There are two colour forms or ‘morphs’ of fantail, with the more common pied morph occurring throughout its range, and the black morph comprising up to 5% of the South Island population, and occasionally occurring in the North Island.

This bird - which was feeding on the insects attracted to seaweed thrown up on to the strand line of a beach on Stewart Island - is the common pied morph. 

This bird was feeding very actively on the beach are rarely stayed in one place for more than a few seconds. 

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