Willie wagtail fact sheet | Field of Mars EEC

What is a willie wagtail?

Willie wagtails are small black-and-white birds that are very familiar in gardens, parks, farms and bushland edges across much of Australia. Their scientific name is Rhipidura leucophrys. Despite the name “wagtail”, they are actually fantails. They are lively, fearless birds that rarely stay still for long and are well known for wagging their tail from side to side as they hunt. They are also one of the most familiar insect-eating birds around homes and schools.

Willie wagtails are small black-and-white insectivorous birds.

What do willie wagtails look like?

Willie wagtails are striking little birds with glossy black upperparts and a white belly. They have a black throat, a white eyebrow above each eye and white whisker-like markings on the face. Their long tail opens like a fan and is constantly flicked or wagged while they forage. Young birds resemble the adults but their feathers are softer in colour and may have pale brown or rusty edges. Willie wagtails are the largest and best-known of the Australian fantails.

Willie wagtail perched in a garden, showing its black throat, white eyebrow and white belly.

Young willie wagtails are duller in colour than adults.

What do willie wagtails sound like?

Willie wagtails are noisy, chatty birds. Their call is often described as sounding like “sweet-pretty-creature”. They also make sharper scolding and chattering calls, especially when defending a nest or territory. During the breeding season they may call repeatedly at night as well as during the day.

Where do willie wagtails live?

Willie wagtails live throughout mainland Australia and are absent from Tasmania. They are also found in other countries such as New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. They prefer open habitats rather than dense rainforest, so they are common in the eucalypt forests of the Field of Mars Reserve, woodlands, grassed areas, paddocks, school grounds, parks and suburban gardens. They are often seen near watercourses and wetlands, and they adapt very well to places where people live.

Willie wagtails adapt well to gardens and other places near people.

What do willie wagtails eat?

Willie wagtails are active hunters. They dart across lawns and open ground searching for insects, then chase prey through the air in quick flights. Their food includes beetles, larvae, flies, spiders, wasps, bees and ants.

Willie wagtails eat many small insects and other invertebrates that they catch on the ground or in the air.

How are willie wagtails adapted to their environment?

Willie wagtails are well adapted to open habitats. They spend much more time on the ground than many other fantails, where they run, hop and dart after prey. Their quick flight helps them snatch insects from the air. They are also bold and highly territorial, which helps them defend feeding areas and nesting sites.

Willie wagtail standing on a branch while searching for insects and defending its territory.

How do willie wagtails reproduce and what is their life-cycle?

The nest of a willie wagtail is a neat cup made from grasses and other fine plant fibres, with spider web wrapped around the outside to hold it together. The inside is lined with soft grasses, hair or fur. Nests are usually built on a horizontal branch, but they may also be placed on beams, rafters or other structures near people.

Willie wagtail nests are made from grasses, plant fibres and spider webs.

In Australia, breeding is mostly from August to January, although they can breed at other times if conditions are suitable. Both parents incubate the eggs. The eggs hatch after about 14 days and the chicks usually leave the nest about 14 days later. If food is plentiful, a pair may raise up to four clutches in one season.

Close-up of a cup-shaped willie wagtail nest containing chicks.

What is the role of willie wagtails in the environment?

Willie wagtails are important members of food webs. As insect-eating birds, they help remove many small invertebrates from lawns, gardens and bushland. They are also prey for larger predators at times, especially as eggs and chicks, so they are both hunters and part of the wider ecosystem.

What threats do willie wagtails face and how can we help them?

Domestic cats and other introduced predators are a major risk, especially because willie wagtails spend so much time feeding on the ground.

Habitat destruction and pesticide use can also reduce the insects they depend on for food.

We can help willie wagtails by keeping cats indoors or supervised, avoiding garden pesticides, leaving some leaf litter and low plants for insect habitat, and providing clean water in a bird bath.

Native flowering shrubs in a garden that provide habitat for invertebrates eaten by willie wagtails.

Related fact sheets

More bird fact sheets

• Bird fact sheets – overview
• Magpie lark fact sheet (similar black-and-white ground-feeding bird)
• Australian magpie fact sheet (another common territorial suburban bird)
• Butcherbird fact sheet (predator of eggs and chicks; useful comparison species)

Habitats and food sources

• Ground cover habitats fact sheet (foraging area)
• Tree habitats fact sheet (nesting branches and perches)
• Leaf litter habitats fact sheet (supports insect prey)
• Water habitats fact sheet (many willie wagtails live near creeks and wetlands)
• Eucalypt forest fact sheet (willie wagtails use open forests)
• Field of Mars Reserve fact sheet (willie wagtails are commonly found in the reserve)
• Invertebrate fact sheet – overview (food source)

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