Infrequent flyer: Rare tīwaiwaka arrives in Havelock North for Māori language week

Art Hyde photographed the uncommon tīwaiwaka while walking near Havelock North. Photo / Art Hyde

A rare black fantail has made a cheeky Hawke’s Bay cameo just in time for Te Wiki o te reo Māori week.

Local man Art Hyde snapped the tīwaiwaka while walking near Havelock North recently.

Hyde said he feared getting any closer to the “nest building” native and its partner, as he reckoned further disturbance would “not be good”.

Hawke’s Bay Today sent the photograph to Havelock North ecologist Dr John McLennan, QSM, who confirmed the species’ identification.

“Fantails come in two colour morphs,” McLennan said. “Pied [the usual form] and black. The black form is reasonably rare in the North Island, and it is rare in Hawke’s Bay.”

Havelock North's Dr John McLennan, QSM, said the black fantail is rare in Hawke’s Bay. Photo / NZME

He said the black form is reasonably common in the South Island, especially in the southern half of the island.

“The two colour morphs interbreed and behave in the same way. So they are not beginning to separate as ‘sub-species’”.

The Department of Conservation said even in the South Island the black morph comprised only 5 per cent of individuals on the island.

The monogamous tīwaiwaka are mainly black, with black-brown over the rump, belly and flight feathers, and occasionally have a white spot over each ear.

The species never has white on their tail feathers.

The “cheet cheet” calling card and energetic aerial antics are at the centre of the Māori line: He tou tīwaiwaka, which means “Ants in your pants”, referring to someone who can’t sit still.