It took me ages to identify this little bird! I described it as âlike a pÄ«wakawaka but with a short tailâ. It flits about in the trees in the same fast, fidgety way that fantails move. After listening to a UK-based audiobook about birdwatching I narrowed it down to a warbler species, because they said that birders looking at warblers always get a sore neck from having to look up so much, and for so long!
Well, turns out thereâs only one species of warbler in Aotearoa (except for the Chatham warbler which, surprise surprise, is only found in the Chatham Islands). The grey warbler (Gerygone igata) is found throughout the motu (country). It has many MÄori names but riroriro is the one I learned and seems to be the most common.
Theyâre small birds, weighing about as much as a sheet of A4 paper. Theyâre an understated beige and grey except for their red eyes, and bold black & white tail feathers. Being insectivorous, I often see them in trees or shrubs, usually high up though theyâll venture lower in the cooler months when kai is harder to find.
The other day, I saw one hovering like a hummingbird underneath our clothesline (we have a patch of wildflowers underneath so no doubt there was plenty of kai). Once I even saw a riroriro pluck some prey straight off a spiderâs web!
When I eventually found out what it was, I realised Iâd actually heard about them before, back in my teaching days. It has a âbrood parasiteâ in pÄ«pÄ«wharauroa, the shining cuckoo. PÄ«pÄ«wharauroa is migratory bird and will lay its egg in the warblerâs nest. After the cuckoo hatches it will push the real riroriro fledglings out of the nest and get the foster parentâs attention all to itself.
Despite this, riroriro are not a threatened species. Youâll hear them before you see them, though only the males will sing (the females just chirp). In our garden, they love hanging out in the tree canopies of beech, oak, horse chestnut, and totara. I often see them with pÄ«wakawaka; they seem like one big gang of friends!
I often hear them first, then follow their singing to try and spot them - the video below will give you an idea of what to listen out for.
Riroriro are found throughout the country, so anyone with patience and good eyesight (or a pair of binoculars) will be able to spot them. Last May, Cornwall Park featured them as their âbird of the monthâ so if youâre in TÄmaki Makaurau that might be a good place to start.
They have an exclusive diet of invertebrates, so putting a bird feeder in the garden wonât entice them in. Instead, try creating a logpile to attract insects, leave some leaf litter, build a bug hotel, or plant flowers like hebe to bring in more insects (aka. bird food).
Happy birding,
Zenobia x
You might also likeâŠ
Grey Warbler/Riroriro factsheet - everything you could possibly want to know about riroriro by Birds NZ
A Woodpile for Winter - create a wildlife log pile to attract insects and birds
The Humble Hebe - why the hebe plant is a good choice for helping garden insects