Between June and July the beautiful Piwakawaka Bird (New Zealand Fantail) visit.
The New Zealand Fantail is well known with its distinctive fanned tail and also for the fact they fearlessly take flight near people. Guests love it when they sweep in and around them while happily chirping away.
Here’s a picture of a Piwakwaka Bird we helped after it flew into our lounge.
Birdlife is only one of the the great surprises of staying here.
The Piwakawaka bird is widespread through New Zealand from Northland through to Stewart Island. Famous for their chattering and high pitch tweets, birdsong is rich here during these months. They are particularly vocal here in the Bay of Plenty where it is warmer. They are less vocal in the cooler environment.
Breeding occurs between August and March in the North Island, and between August and February in the South Island of New Zealand.
The fantail is one of New Zealand’s best known birds, with its distinctive fanned tail and loud song, and particularly because it often approaches within a metre or two of people. Its wide distribution and habitat preferences, including frequenting well-treed urban parks and gardens, means that most people encounter fantails occasionally. They can be quite confiding, continuing to nest build or visit their nestlings with food when people watch quietly. There are two colour forms or ‘morphs’ of fantail, with the more common pied morph occurring throughout its range, and the black morph comprising up to 5% of the South Island population, and occasionally occurring in the North Island…
