Willie Wagtail: Djidi Djidi

The Willie Wagtail is the largest and most well known of the Australian family of fantails. It lives across mainland Australia, New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, the Bismarch Archipelago and Eastern Indonesia. Its English name comes from its habit of wagging its tail while foraging for food on the ground. Its Noongar name, Djidi-djidi, comes from its trademark chatter.

Description

Adult Willie Wagtails grow between 19 and 21.5 cm in length with a tail 10-11cm long. They have black feathers and a white chest. Willie Wagtails can be distinguished from other black and white birds by their white eyebrows and whisker marks. They have a black beak, brown eyes and black legs.

Habitat

Willie Wagtails are found in wide range of habitats, but avoid densely forested areas such as rainforests. They enjoy living near people and can be found hunting in open, grassed areas such as lawns, gardens, parkland, and sporting grounds. Willie Wagtails moved to the Western Australian wheatbelt after bush was cleared for farming.

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Diet

Willie Wagtails are carnivorous and eat a wide range of animals including spiders, centipedes, butterflies, dragonflies, moths, beetles and flies. They wag their tails while they hunt to scare insects and make them easier to catch.

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Significance to Noongar Culture

In Noonagr culture, the Willie Wagtail was said to be a gossip and chased away from important tribal meetings. Children were told not to follow the bird or they would be led into the bush and lost forever. In the Dreaming, the wagtail was a great hunter who was one day robbed of his catch by the crow and the dingo. They say that the Willie Wagtail never forgot this crime, which is why it still angrily attacks crows and dogs much bigger than itself.

Australian Aboriginal Willie Wagtail Dance

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