Fantails

Fantails:

Fantail/Piwakawakas are a species of bird found in New Zealand, but they're not [|endemic] - they're also found in Australia and some south-west Pacific islands; as seen below. New Zealand has three Sub Species which are the placabilis, fuliginosa and penitus. More commonly known as the North Island Fantail (placabilis); South Island Fanail (fuliginosa) and the Chatham Island Fantail (penitus).

The fantail is one of the few native bird species in New Zealand that has been able to adapt to a large range of environments that have been greatly altered by humans. Fantails can be found in open native forests and scrub, now it's also found in exotic plantation forests, in orchards and in gardens. The fantail has a large altitude range that extends from sea level to the snow line. Fantails are common in forest, rural and urban environments. The fantail can live in most temperatures, when the sun is out, you're more likely to see the fantail fluttering around the bush, in the rain than spend their time sheltering in the trees.

The average fantail is 16 centimeters  long and weighs a tiny 8 grams. Most fantails are brown above and pale underneath. Their fan-like tail, usually held high above the body, is made up of long dark central feathers flanked by white feathers. About 20% of South Island fantails are completely black.

This is a video on YouTube showing a Fantail in native New Zealand bush in Wellington. You'll be able to see their pale brown chest. This is common in all three types of New Zealand fantails. media type="youtube" key="IaepyBtDC5o" height="344" width="450" This is another [|video] from YouTube showing a Fantails flitting (moving rapidly and nimbly) in its natural habitat. Fantails use their broad tails to change direction quickly while hunting for insects. They sometimes hop around upside-down amongst tree ferns and foliage to pick insects from the underside of leaves. In both of these videos you'll be able to see the three different methods that fantails use to catch their food; hawking, flushing and following humans. Hawking is when the bird flies around at a rapid pace snapping up several insects up at a time. Flushing is when the fantail flies around vegetation disturbing the insects, this causes the insects to become vulnerable out of being hidden in the dence bush. The last method, following humans, makes the insects disturbed by the humans' large movements.

__Fantails' Food Chain: __

Cats, rats, stoats and mynas are as great an enemy to Fantails as they are to any other native birds. Of all the eggs and chicks Fantails produce, only a few survive and grow up. This causes the Fantail population to fluctuate. Their main preys are moths, flies, spiders, wasps, and beetles, although they sometimes also eat fruit. They seldom feed on the ground. Fantails get their fluid from the food they eat. Fantails eat both exotic and native food.

__Breeding:__ Fantails make very distinctive nests which have hanging tails under protective foliage in tree forks. They lay three or more eggs at a time, and can raise up to five broods in one season. Juvenile males can start breeding between 2-9 months old. The fantails stay in pairs all year but high mortality means they seldom survive more than a season. Breeding takes place between August and February.