I, like most of us I suspect, naturally thought that a Willy Wagtail was of the wagtail species - but I discovered recently that it isn't - it's misnamed and is actually a fantail. Wagtails wag their tails up and down, whereas our Willy wags his from side to side!
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True wagtails aren't native to Australia, being irregular migrants or vagrants from the northern hemisphere, probably over-flying their normal wintering grounds in South-East Asia and islands north of Australia. They’re only seen in northern Australia, very rarely further south - so we are unlikely to see any in our area.
The Willy Wagtail is the largest, and most well-known, of the Australian fantails. The plumage is black above with a white belly, and can be distinguished from other similar-sized black and white birds by its black throat and white eyebrows and whisker marks. The name wagtail (obviously!) stems from the constant sideways wagging of the tail. It uses this characteristic 'fantail' as a sweeping fan over grass to disturb insects, which it then catches and consumes. Also the distinctive white eyebrow of the boy wagtail is not just a fashion statement - it helps him get the girls! Rival males show aggression by expanding their eyebrows during a territorial dispute. The loser shows his submission by hiding his eyebrow completely, making him look like a young, immature bird.
I only discovered this 'misnamer' when I was confirming the ID of some Rufous Fantails that have been visiting our birdbath. They are rare summer visitors to our district, so we were very thrilled to see them.
Some interesting bird facts
There are more than 890 species of birds found in Australia, and of these, more than 300 are endemic to our country!
The Laughing Kookaburra is not really laughing when it makes its distinctive call – it’s actually a territorial call to warn other birds to stay away.
Birds have bones just like humans but they are all hollow, which gives them the ability to fly.
Birds feathers actually weigh more than their skeletons.
Birds, specifically the wren, can bring up to 500 spiders and caterpillars to its nestlings during a single afternoon forage.
Birds, especially ducks, fly in a V Shape formation to improve aerodynamics of the bird beyond them to save on energy.
Birds must move their entire head when they want to look in different directions, instead of just moving their eyes.
Birds have wings – all except one! The world’s only wingless bird is the Kiwi of New Zealand.
Until next time – take care all.
Kay
(Information sources: www.natureaustralia.org.au; The Slater Field Guide to Australian Birds.)
