A friendly and curious forest bird — Written by Te Korowai o Waiheke Team Member

I spend a lot of time outside; whether that’s in native bush, mangroves, or along our coastline. It may seem to some like a lonely job, to be by yourself in the outdoors, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s always someone waiting for me when I step out of my car or off a boat.

From the moment I kick up the tiniest speck of dirt or sand, I hear the sweet and familiar chirping of a pīwakawaka nearby. It hops along behind me in the scuffs of my boots with a chorus of excited squeaks and pips as I kick up the undergrowth. There are tiny insects flying in every direction and the pīwakawaka follows them at light speed from branch to branch. Even when I stop for a second to take in the view, it will wait and chat impatiently as if asking me to continue stirring up its breakfast.

The New Zealand fantail, also known as the pīwakawaka or tīrairaka, is a friendly and curious forest bird common all over Aotearoa. Their diet consists of small insects caught while following along behind another animal, often tauhou, kākāriki, and especially a human out for a hike. Pīwakawaka have long tail feathers that allow them to quickly change direction mid-air and have a stunning courtship display. They’re one of our smallest birds, their little faces decorated with long whiskers and a stern pair of white eyebrows. If you’re travelling through Te Waipounamu, it is likely that you may even see one that has black feathers instead of the usual walnut coat, as the dark morphs make up a quarter of their population.

I find a spot near a water dish made of stone and watch as a pair splash each other, darting between the kawakawa and shallow water. Rather than stepping, they hop joyfully with both tiny feet. They bounce around as the water runs off them, for once not chasing bugs, but each other, delighting in the cool water. Their chatter continues as I walk away and for a moment I think I may not be accompanied for the walk home but sure enough, one is suddenly there, looking curiously from a branch, already eyeing the insects at my feet.

- Written and captured by Field Team Technician Charlie Thomas