About the New Zealand Fantail
The New Zealand fantail is a small insectivorous bird, the only species of fantail in New Zealand. It has four subspecies: R. f. fuliginosa in the South Island, R. f. placabilis in the North Island, R. f. penita in the Chatham Islands, and the now-extinct R. f. cervina formerly on Lord Howe Island. It is also known by its Māori names, pīwakawaka, tīwakawaka or piwaiwaka, and the Chatham Island subspecies by the Moriori name tchitake; the common pied morph is also known as pied fantail, and the uncommon dark morph is also known as black fantail. The species has been considered by many to be conspecific as the grey fantail of Australia and New Caledonia; however, due to significant…
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
ID tip
This fantail is mid to dark grey or grey-brown above, yellowish/orange below, with a dark band across the chest below a white throat, white markings over the eye, and (depending on the race) either white-edged or entirely white outer tail feathers. It grows to 16 cm (6.3 in) in length, of which half is the tail, which, as the name implies, is often displayed fanned out. This reveals that the outer tail feathers are light and the centre ones are dark.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where it lives
When to see it
Peak activity in April · a resident species across most of its range
Easily confused with
Sunda Pied FantailRhipidura javanicaThe Sunda pied fantail, also known as the Malaysian pied fantail, is a species of bird in the fantail family.
Australian Rufous FantailRhipidura rufifronsAdults are medium-sized birds, generally ranging from 14.5 cm – 18.5 cm in length, averaging at around 15 cm; their wingspan is between 18 cm – 22.5 cm, averaging at around 21 cm.
White-spotted FantailRhipidura albogularisThe adult white-spotted fantail is about 19 cm (7.5 in) long.
Side by side: New Zealand Fantail vs Willie Wagtail · Grey Fantail vs New Zealand Fantail · Australian Rufous Fantail vs New Zealand Fantail · New Zealand Fantail vs White-spotted Fantail
Learn the New Zealand Fantail for real
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