What do Willie wagtails eat in the wild?
What fruit do Willie wagtails eat?
How often do Willie wagtails eat?
How does the Willie Wagtail find food?
Will the Willie Wagtail go to the feeder?
What time of day do Willie wagtails eat?
What do Willie wagtails eat in winter?
What do Willie wagtails eat in summer?
What Do Baby Willie Wagtails Eat?
Can I feed Willy wagtails?
What can I feed a Willie wagtail?
What not to feed Willie wagtails?
What does Willie Wagtail drink?
How do you attract Willie wagtails?
Is Willie wagtail suitable for breeding?
Willie Wagtail, also known as Willie Wagtail, (whitefin tuna) is a widespread and familiar bird found throughout Australia. They frequent a variety of habitats from sea level to high altitude, avoiding only densely forested areas.
Their foraging habits in suburban gardens, parks and agricultural areas have made them a common sight and left many wondering what on earth these lively little birds feed on.
Willie wagtails are insectivorous birds. Most of their prey is insects, but they also eat other invertebrates such as spiders and even small vertebrates like geckos and small fish. Willie wagtails hunt prey by catching them in the air, although they also grab terrestrial invertebrates from the ground or collect them from the branches and leaves of shrubs and trees.
Willie wagtails are popular in gardens, but they’re not the easiest birds to feed.
Providing natural habitat by planting a variety of native Australian plants is the best way to feed these birds (and many others), even if it’s a rather roundabout way.
A clean source of fresh water will also attract these birds who love to bathe and drink in the birdbath.
Read on to learn more about the diet of a familiar and happy Australian bird, the Willie wagtail.
Willie wagtail with freshly caught insects
What do Willie wagtails eat in the wild?
Willie wagtails are primarily insectivores. Most of their prey are less than 1 cm long, but they occasionally take prey larger than 3 cm. Flies and beetles are two of the most important prey items for the Willie wagtail, but they also eat a variety of invertebrates and even some small vertebrates such as reptiles and fish.
Willie wagtails typically feed on the following prey:
- fly
- wasp
- bee
- beetle
- grasshopper
- flying ants
- dragonfly
- Butterfly
- cicada
- millipede
- centipede
- moth
Willie wagtail foraging
What fruit do Willie wagtails eat?
Willie wagtails don’t usually eat fruit. They rarely eat plant material, although feeding on seeds has been recorded. However, fruit left behind to attract insects can provide them with additional hunting opportunities.
How often do Willie wagtails eat?
Willie wagtails eat multiple times throughout the day. They are diurnal birds, which means they do all their feeding during the day.
Read on to learn how Willie wagtails find and catch prey.
Willie wagtail feeding on a small lizard
How does the Willie Wagtail find food?
Willie wagtails have a variety of strategies for finding food. They can rely on their keen eyesight to spot flying insects and insects crawling on the ground.
They will often hunt from their perch, fly out for a meal, and come back to eat. They will also actively seek out insects in vegetation, and even try to flush them into open areas where they are easy to catch.
The Willie wagtail is named for its habit of wagging its tail from side to side and spreading its wings. However, these antics play an important role in finding food. These active birds often run along the ground while performing these maneuvers.
The flashes created by the shadows of their wings and tails are thought to confuse the insects, which can then be captured.
These resourceful little birds have been known to follow larger animals as they move through bushes because the insects they disturb are easy to pick. For the same reason, Willie Wagtails will even follow those around them!
Willie wagtail foraging for insects in a meadow
Will the Willie Wagtail go to the feeder?
Willie wagtails dislike bird feeders because they feed primarily on live insects and other invertebrates. They may be attracted to live mealworms in feeders, but it’s more practical to watch these bold little birds forage for food on their own.
What time of day do Willie wagtails eat?
Willie wagtails are very active little birds that eat non-stop every day. However, insect activity changes over time, so birds may adjust their foraging strategies.
Close up of a Willie Wagtail perched on a branch
What do Willie wagtails eat in winter?
Willie wagtails feed on invertebrates and sometimes even small animals such as lizards and fish. Winter months make these cold-blooded animals less active, triggering changes in hunting strategies.
During this time, Willie wagtails probably capture most of their prey by gleaning, which involves picking invertebrates from the ground or plant surfaces.
What do Willie wagtails eat in summer?
A large portion of the Willie wagtail’s summer diet consists of flying insects. In New South Wales, for example, more than 83-85% of food is captured in the air between October and March.
Willie wagtail with a dragonfly in its mouth
What Do Baby Willie Wagtails Eat?
The Little Willie Wagtail feeds on insects and other invertebrates. Parents often provide more food than the parents keep for themselves.
This makes sense as an energy-saving strategy that keeps adult birds from flying in and out of the nest unnecessarily frequently. This strategy may also help keep the nest’s location hidden from predators.
Willie wagtail female feeding chicks in nest
Can I feed Willy wagtails?
It may be okay to occasionally feed willie wagtails mealworms, but they should not be overfed or made to become dependent on human food.
It is next to impossible to provide them with a healthy, balanced diet, and they are certainly more than capable of supporting themselves.
What can I feed a Willie wagtail?
Willie wagtails feed on live insects, usually caught in the air, but they also feed on the ground and vegetation. This kind of food is hard to come by. Mealworms and crickets can be used, but it’s much easier to leave these busy birds to catch their own prey.
Willie wagtail on the ground, looking for insects to eat
What not to feed Willie wagtails?
Willie Wagtails are not attracted to bird food, bread or fruit. They should not be fed large amounts of food, as you may not be able to reproduce the natural diversity of their prey.
What does Willie Wagtail drink?
Willie wagtails often drink fresh water. However, most of their water needs likely come from insect prey.
Willie wagtail drinking from birdbath
How do you attract Willie wagtails?
Willie wagtails are not attracted to bird feeders and the best way to attract them is to have good foraging and nesting habitat with access to fresh water.
A healthy garden with lawn areas, native shrubs and plenty of leaf litter will provide excellent hunting grounds for Willie wagtails, while a bird bath will make the area even more attractive.
Is Willie wagtail suitable for breeding?
The Willie Wagtail is a wonderful bird. They are a joy to watch and do a great job of keeping insect populations down. Willie wagtails have a beautiful song, although their habit of singing loudly on moonlit nights can put them at odds with light sleepers!
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I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.