ALBINO FANTAIL

Forest and Bird, Issue 96, 1 May 1950, Page 6

ALBINO FANTAIL

By

HENRY G. BAILEY.

'T’HROUGHOUT the years we have been charmed by the presence of many native birds in this small garden sanctuary, some merely visitors, others making it a home in which to rear their little families. Amongst the latter are the fantails.

Last summer a pair of pied fantails had a lovely little family of three. I wonder if any reached maturity, one .1 know did not. I found it one evening on top of a stone pillar and beside a drinking fountain, just a wee tiny ball of fluff with its wee head tucked under its wing. It was not dead, but how helpless was I to revive it!

This little family was very interesting, but we got a greater thrill just a week ago. We were busy trying to entice a pair of pied fantails to come closer when my wife directed my

attention to what she thought was a little yellow canary. No canary ever had such a long tail for its size, or ever carried it in that erect position, so we discovered it to be a fantail. It soon started to demonstrate its dexterity in chasing flies, and came much closer, so that we were able to observe it both in flight and at rest on a branch.

Its plumage was of a creamy white, the breast slightly darker, a pale buff, and the tail when expanded appeared to be all white. When, however, it settled on a branch to enjoy a captured fly and closed its fan, the tail took on a dark colour.

Evidently the progeny of the pair of beautiful pied birds, it was, I would think, a case of an albino.