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New Zealand is a land of unspoilt natural beauty. One of the great pleasures that this place offers is the opportunity to wander through virgin native forestry, far away from the concrete jungle. And one of the delights of such an excursion is undoubtedly the beautiful birdsong and the sight of colourful birds flitting around the trees. The crown prince of such aerial activity is undoubtedly the pied fantail – New Zealand’s little fly-catcher. Let’s find out a little more about him.
The fantail is about the size of a house sparrow. His distinct multicolour coat is made up of a dark olive brown covering his head and back, a white tail, a yellow stomach and white splashes on his neck and above the eye. His enchanting, fantail tail provides even more color. He is a cheeky bird who delights in displaying his fan to observers. He will emit a chirpy noise to get attention and then fly around in short, acrobatic circles before opening his tail proudly.
The fantail makes his home in New Zealand’s forest and bushland. He has, however, been known to venture into people’s domestic gardens. To attract one to your place, try planting abelia hedge plants or other insect attracting shrubs. The fantail will zone in on such plants in his ever vigilant search for insects and flies. He is an expert at catching such tasty little treats. The fantail himself, however, makes easy pickings for cats, so keep this in mind before inviting too many of them over.
Back home in the bush, the fantail is an expert home builder, making a compact, cup shaped nest out of fibres, moss and bark. The internal lining is made of cobwebs. This is just as well, for the bird is a prolific breeder, producing up to five broods in a season. This usually takes place between January and August. It takes 15 days for the chicks to hatch from their eggs.
New Zealand is not the only home to the fantail. The white-brown fantail can be found in Bangladesh and India. Australia is home to the willy-wagtail fantail which, at about 23 centimeters, is one of the largest fantails. There are, in fact, about two dozen different types of fantail around the world, mostly in the South Pacific. The official name for the fantail is Rhiphidura Rufifrons.
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