Seeing a willy wagtail
Seeing a willy wagtail puts you in the company of one of Australia's most familiar small birds, a black-and-white fantail that swings its tail around yards and picnics. In Aboriginal traditions it is a bird both feared and admired.
What it may mean
The willy wagtail is always nearby. It hops along fences, follows people across lawns and sits on the backs of cattle, tail swinging, eyes on everything. Anthropologist Philip Clarke, who spent years trying to photograph one, told Outback Magazine that it is a bird both feared and admired in Aboriginal traditions, and that beliefs about it vary from region to region. That double reputation fits a certain kind of person too: the one at the edge of every gathering who notices who arrived late, who left upset, who needs a drink. Such people can be a group's early warning or its rumor mill, depending on what they do with what they see. A willy wagtail on the fence may send your mind to the watchers in your own circle, and to which kind of watcher you are.
Depending on how you saw it
Chasing a much bigger bird
Near its nest, a willy wagtail will dive at crows, kookaburras and even eagles, snapping its bill until the larger bird leaves. It picks no fights elsewhere. What would you defend this fiercely, against anyone at all?
Singing on a moonlit night
Willy wagtails often keep singing after dark, especially on bright, moonlit nights, a chattering phrase heard from a fence or a tree. What keeps you awake and talking when everyone else has gone to sleep?
Swinging its tail side to side
The bird swings its tail and fans it constantly as it hunts, a nervous-looking habit that may help stir up insects from the grass. Which restless habit of yours actually helps you get your work done?
Why it happens in nature
The willy wagtail is a fantail, not a true wagtail, found across Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands. It weighs about 20 grams, hunts insects on the ground and in the air, swings and fans its tail as it forages, and often follows people and livestock. Pairs defend their nests boldly against much larger birds.
What folk beliefs say
Aboriginal Australia
Anthropologist Philip Clarke told Outback Magazine in 2024 that the willie wagtail is a bird both feared and admired, and that Aboriginal names and beliefs for it vary from region to region; the article adds that Aboriginal beliefs treat the bird as having a spirit, on a par with people.
Source: Kate Newsome, Telling tails (Outback Magazine, issue 156) (2024), www.outbackmag.com.au. View the page
To reflect on
Who in your circle notices everything, and do you treat what they see as a warning or as gossip?