Australian Magpie

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The Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a medium-sized black and white bird, closely related to the butcherbirds and currawongs. Early European settlers named it for its resemblance to the familiar European Magpie (which is a more distant relative).

Contents

1 Overview
2 Swooping
3 Tameness
4 References
5 External links

Overview

Adult magpies have pure black and white plumage: juveniles mix the stark blacks and whites with lighter greys and browns. Males and females are similar in appearance. The magpie’s exact lifespan isn’t known, but some have lived up to 30 years.

There are at least four different subspecies of Australian magpie:

The Black-backed Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen tibicen) found in Queensland and New South Wales, right across the Top End and most of arid Western Australia. In the future the black-backed race may be further split into four separate races, as there are regional differences between them.
The White-backed Magpie (G. tibicen leuconata) found in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and outback NSW.
The Tasmanian Magpie (G. tibicen hypoleuca).
The Western Magpie (G. tibicen dorsalis) in the fertile south-west corner of Western Australia.

At least two of the races were originally classified as separate species, but they are cross-fertile and hybridise readily. Where their territories cross, hybrid grey or striped-backed magpies are quite common.

Australian Magpies have a musical warbling call. Noted New Zealand poet Denis Glover wrote "quardle oodle ardle wardle doodle, the magpies say". In contrast, young magpies squawk almost continuously.

Magpies mate across the year, but generally in winter. Nesting takes place in winter and spring is the season when the babies are looked after. By late summer the babies either make their own clan or separate from their parents whilst staying in the same clan.

Magpies were introduced into New Zealand in the 1860's and are proving to be a pest by displacing native birds.

The magpie is a commonly-used emblem of sporting teams in Australia, most notably the Collingwood Football Club, the Port Adelaide Magpies Football Club and the Western Suburbs Rugby League Club.

The White-backed Magpie has been featured on the South Australian flag and coat of arms since 1901 under the name Piping Shrike. Image:Cropped Aussie magpie in tree.jpg|White-backed female Gymnorhina tibicen, in Dromana, Victoria. Image:au_magpie.jpg|Australian Magpie in South Australia Image:Magpie2.JPG|White-backed female Gymnorhina tibicen, in Lindfield, New South Wales.

Swooping

Magpies tend not to be afraid of people, and they live in urban areas as often as in the bush, so magpies are a familiar sight to most Australians, and their melodic song is widely enjoyed. However, if magpies feel threatened while nesting (typically in August-September in southern Australia), even by an inadvertent intrusion into their territory, they will often swoop at the intruder in an attempt to drive them away. Magpies generally swoop from behind, and without warning, so attacks can be somewhat terrifying, particularly to children. When a magpie swoops overhead, it makes a loud snap noise with its wings. For this reason, local authorities sometimes post warning signs during "swooping season", particularly in urban parks. Magpie attacks sometimes cause injuries, typically minor wounds to the scalp; this is uncommon. Cyclists can also be at risk, as they are unable to discourage the attack by turning to face the swooping bird.

Warning sign about magpie swooping

To avoid swooping attacks, the best course is to avoid the territory of nesting magpies during the relatively brief nesting season (magpies ignore people for most of the year). It is illegal to provoke magpies (by throwing stones at them or destroying nests) as it is likely to make them more aggressive. They are also a protected native species in Australia.

If it is necessary to walk near the nest, some people prefer to wear protection. Magpies prefer to swoop at the back of the head. Therefore keeping the magpie in sight at all times can discourage the bird. Using a basic disguise to fool the magpie as to where a person is looking (like painting eyes on a hat, or wearing sunglasses on the back of the head) can also prove effective. Holding an object above one's head, such as a stick, will cause the magpie to avoid attacking, or at worst attack the object instead of the person. Rarely, if a bird presents a serious nuisance the local authorities will arrange for that bird to be eliminated.

Tameness

Australian Magpies are territorial, and this presents the opportunity for householder to get acquainted with the local pair, and their offspring after they fledge.

References

BirdLife International (2004). [Gymnorhina tibicen]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
[Page on swooping birds] by the Victorian Government Department of Sustainability and Environment
Kaplan, Gisela, Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbird, CSIRO Publishing, 2004, ISBN 0643090681
[Magpies - Queensland Government]
[Use Of The Piping Shrike - South Australian Government]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[Special]

[Audio file of the magpie's famous warbling call]
[Australian Magpie] Description and pictures.
[Biological and evolutionary information] (book excerpt)
[Australian Magpie videos] on the Internet Bird Collection

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