By Annie Hill
The original article in Russell Lights | Ngā Mārama o Kororāreka
Pīwakawaka / fantail is one of the most recognised and loved of our native birds. In Māori mythology, pīwakawaka is a messenger, bringing news of death from the gods to the people. Some people consider them bad luck, but in fact the message is an opportunity to prepare for the event. It’s a shame to regard such delightful birds negatively; fortunately, they bring a smile to most of us.
With their wonderful tail, smartly accented white feathers, and constant chatter, pīwakawaka are hard to miss. Most of us have only encountered pied fantails, but 5% are almost entirely sooty black, with a brown lower back and tail and sometimes with a white spot over their ears. These black fantails are rare on the North Island, but quite often encountered when tramping on the South Island. Once you’ve encountered one, there’s a chance of seeing it again: pīwakawaka are territorial and remain on or near their territories in the non-breeding season; juveniles occasionally gather in loose flocks where prey is readily available. Fantails can live up to five years, but with so many animals predating them, not many do.
They have more than 20 Māori names: hīrairaka, hītakataka, hīwai, hīwaiwaka, hīwakawaka, kōtiutiu, pīrairaka, pīrakaraka, pīrangirangi, pītakataka, pīwaiwaka, tīaiaka, tīaka, tīakaaka, tieaka, tīrairaka, tīrakaraka, tītaiwaka, tītakataka, tītīrairaka, tīwaiwaka, tīwakawaka, and wakawaka, most of these referencing their constant movement. However, I can find no meaning for their names: pī can mean to squeak, ngutu pī means chatterbox, while waka is a flock of birds. Perhaps the etymology is lost in the mists of time, although Tiwakawaka is also the name of one of the first Māori settlers to New Zealand.
Pīwakawaka are native to Aotearoa but not strictly endemic, being a subspecies of a larger group of fantails found from New Guinea to the Philippines. Here, it is one of the few native birds that has adapted to the presence of humans. Normally found in open native forests and scrub, it now inhabits exotic plantation forests, orchards and gardens, from sea level to the snow line.
For all their adaptability, they are constantly threatened by ship rats in particular, along with cats, stoats, possums and mynas; apparently both species of cuckoo frequently raid their nests, taking both eggs and chicks. Their cup-shaped nests are a wonder, utilising materials such as mosses, dried rotten wood fibres, hair, dried grasses and fern scales, all tightly woven with cobwebs. From August to March, pīwakawaka are prolific breeders, with up to five eggs in a clutch and sometimes rearing five broods in a season. They are monogamous and both parents feed the chicks every 10 minutes for two weeks! Once fledged, the male carries on feeding while the female builds another nest and the whole business starts again. Of all the eggs and chicks fantails produce, only a few survive and grow up, but their fecundity means that populations can quickly bounce back after a decline.
Pīwakawaka mainly eat insects: moths, flies, beetles, spiders. Large prey is held down and repeatedly pecked until it stops moving, with parts (such as wings) often discarded before the rest is eaten. They also occasionally eat small fruit. They frequently feed on the wing, and with their broad tail and short wings can quickly change direction in pursuit of flying insects. In open vegetation, they use a perch to spot swarms of insects which they then swoop down on, snapping several insects at a time. In denser vegetation they flick their wings and tails, which presumably frightens prey into moving. Anyone who has been to Urupukapuka Island or Moturua will probably have noticed their feeding association with tīeke saddlebacks, where the hunting by the larger birds apparently disturbs smaller insects, which the fantails promptly pounce on.
Supposedly the reason they are so friendly when one is walking is that people disturb insects which they can then feed on. I believe they’re simply curious about the big, clumsy creatures in their domain. They are more likely to be flying around at shoulder height and I’ve rarely seen one down by my feet, where I’d expect the disturbed insects to be! They’re often confiding, unfazed if you sit quietly by, while they build their nest or feed chicks. Indeed, their apparently friendly behaviour is undoubtedly a part of their charm, along with the enchanting way in which they flit about like forest sprites. It’s satisfying to see their numbers on the increase as we control more predators in Russell. On the islands, where they’re safe from cats and less likely to be disturbed by our behaviour, they appear to be flourishing.
“Fantail and Roses” A3 size by Darina Denlai, “Fantail’s Happy Place”, Watercolor on Fabriano Paper
