There's a Jitti-jitti in My Garden

Jitti-jitti - sometimes djiti-djiti or chitty-chitty - is the Noongar name for the Australian willy wagtail - the Noongars being the local indigenous people of south western Australia. I think it's a particularly appropriate name, too, given the way these endearing little birds chatter. Their common name of willy wagtails is because they spend a lot of of their time shaking their rumps with their tails fanned up, and as you might have guessed if you know anything about birds in Australia, they are related to the Australian fantails. They are cheeky and I've yet to find anything they are intimidated by. They take no nonsense from anyone or anything and will drive off much bigger birds without any sign of nerves. Around here they regularly take to the Australian ravens and kookaburras, both of which are much larger and can be aggressive.

For a long time willy wagtail numbers had plummeted but recently they have recovered and now they can often be seen and heard. The one who's chosen our garden as part of his hunting grounds - they catch flies, small moths and mosquitoes (the last in particular makes them very welcome as far as I'm concerned) - arrived a couple of weeks ago. He's very bold, sitting on the fence chittering at me while he waits for something suitable to eat to appear. Very handsome he looks, too, in his black and white tuxedo with his tail fanned up before he swoops and grabs whatever morsel he's seen in mid-air. He isn't the least bit bothered by my working in the garden and will fly down to grab a snack no more than a hands breadth away from me.

in local Aboriginal legend they are regarded as gossips but they figure in other stories in different parts of the country. In some places they are considered birds of ill omen though I have no idea why such a charming, little creature should have that reputation. To me they are very special little birds and I hope their resurgence continues.

If you're interested you can read more about them here. Oh and I tried to find a photo but turns out there aren't too many in the public domain and those that are were somewhat underwhelming.

Willy Wagtail - A-Z Blog Challenge

One of these delightful little birds claims our yard as part of his territory and I've been trying to get a photo but he's not easy to catch.                                      



Willy wagtails - Rhipidura leucophrys - are one of the fantails and they are sprightly, energetic little birds. With their black backs and white fronts they could be wearing tuxedos and they strut around, wagging their behinds, tails fanned upright. Since they are only between 19-21 centimetres (7 ½ - 8 ½ inches) in length you might expect them to be like so many other small birds, most of which are shy and retiring. Nope, not the willy wagtails. Apparently completely fearless, they'll take on anything. I've seen a pair of them dive bomb a raven (more than twice their size) and drive it off. They'll swoop any cat foolish enough to enter their territory too and apparently this noisy little bird is seriously intimidating because they - the cats that is - take off over the fence at speed. I've even watched willy wagtails stand in the middle of the road as a car bears down on them, facing it and chattering loudly until the last moment when they lift off only to keep on scolding from the side of the road.

If you're lucky enough to have one - or a pair - sharing your garden they'll supervise you when you're working, often darting down to grab an insect you disturb, which is pretty useful. Our little resident loves bathing in the bird bath and showering in the sprinkler, too.

Willy wagtails are very important in Aboriginal culture. The indigenous people from the south west area of Western Australia, the Noongar people (although you'll find many spelling variations), have many stories about the willy wagtail as do other Aboriginal  people. The Noongar name for it is djidi djidi or jitti jitti. It's very appropriate because it's a common sound they make although they also flute and sing. There's a comprehensive coverage of sounds here.

All in all they are engaging little birds and I for one find them fascinating.

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