Species guide
Willie Wagtail: how to recognise it
A bird of Oceania. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Lip Kee · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Rhipidura leucophrys
- Family
- Fantails
- Size
- About 19–21 cm
- Habitat
- Open country, gardens and parks
- Found in
- Oceania
The key marks
Black above and white below with a white eyebrow and a long tail that it wags from side to side.
Voice
A cheerful, rattling song that sounds like “sweet pretty creature”.
Good to know
It is bold enough to mob much larger birds, including eagles, and its chattering often warns other animals of danger.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in open country, gardens and parks. It is especially common in Australia. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.