Early European explorers released goats in New Zealand so they would have something to eat when they came back. Later, once settlement went into full swing, more goats were brought in, for their wool and to control weeds when land was cleared. As with many of New Zealand’s pest species, they like it here and, [...]
Kahurangi National Park
The deep, dark eyes of the South Island robin (Petroica australis) seem to drink in everything around them. They’re such curious things, always wanting to know what you’re doing in the bush. In summer time, during the breeding season, male and female work cooperatively in looking after the eggs and offspring. The male brings the female food [...]
The common name of New Zealand’s smallest bird (Acanthisitta chloris) comes from an apparent resemblance of the male bird’s green plumage to the uniform of a colonial rifleman. Whether there is or isn’t a resemblance, there is one pressing question: What is the plural of rifleman? For birds with English names, it’s usually pretty clear: [...]
We had a cold snap early in April that saw Wharepapa/Mt Arthur sporting snow for a couple of days, but it quickly went back to being clear of snow. In the last few days, the snow is back and the temperature’s down in a way that suggests the snow is there to stay for the [...]
Female South Island robins (Petroica australis) are a paler grey than the males and their chest patch tends to be less clearly defined than in the male. I think this is a female, because she is quite light in colour and her chest patch is pretty irregular, certainly more so than the Fenella hut robin.
Fantails occur all around New Zealand and four subspecies are recognised. The South Island fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa fuliginosa) is the subspecies found, well, in the South Island. There’s also a North Island subspecies (R. f. placabilis), a Chatham Island subspecies (R. f. penita) and an extinct Lord Howe Island subspecies (R. f. cervina). The fantail [...]
Fantails are territorial during the breeding season, so when you’re in the bush and fantails come visiting, they’re checking you out to make sure you’re not trying to take over their territory. And they’re not afraid to tell you off. They look like angry ewoks.
The New Zealand fantail is very similar to Australia’s grey fantail (Rhipidura albiscapa), and the grey fantail has been considered to be Rhipidura fuliginosa (the New Zealand species) in the past. Fantails are about 16 cm long, and half of this is their tail, the size of which becomes apparent when they spread out their tail [...]
Fantails have coped well with human settlement. They like native bush (of course), but loss of habitat hasn’t affected the fantail as much as it has other New Zealand species, as fantails also like exotic forest, farmland, parks and gardens. They’re found from sea level to snowline, pretty much anywhere where insects can be found. [...]
These guys are the welcoming committee of the New Zealand bush, turning this way and that, giving their loud ‘cheet cheet’ calls, showing off their tails, all the while continuing to hunt for the insects that make up the bulk of their diet. The fantail (Rhipidura fuliginosa) has over a dozen names in Maori, many [...]
