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Story: Ngā manu – birds

Tīwaiwaka (fantail)

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Some people consider the tīwaiwaka (fantail) a harbinger of death when seen inside a house. In one story, the bird was responsible for the death of the trickster Māui when he tried to overcome Hine-nui-te-pō, the goddess of death.

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How to cite this page

Kelly Keane, Ngā manu – birds – Birds associated with death, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/12155/tiwaiwaka-fantail (accessed 10 June 2026).

Story by Kelly Keane, published 1 March 2009, updated 17 February 2015.