Recognisable by its long fanned tail and airborne acrobatics. Grey above, with white eyebrow, throat and tail edges. Creamy yellow underbelly. Found in all treed habitats in eastern Australia including Tasmania, south-western West Australia and scattered regions of the interior. Feeds on small flying insects. Nests in a tree fork 2-5 meters from the ground using grasses bound with spiders web. See image. Wikipedia says, “Flits from perch to perch, sometimes on the ground but mostly on the twigs of a tree or any other convenient object, looking out for flying insects. The birds are not shy, and will often flit within a few metres of people, especially in forested areas and suburban gardens. In doing so, it is able to catch any small flying insects that may have been disturbed by human activities such as walking or digging.”
With nest. Photo: Derek Boddington
On twig
This Grey Fantail was photographed from a long way off with a lens not quite long enough, in early winter at Obi Obi Creek near Kenilworth.
Photo: Robert Whyte
