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General Information
Description:
We see this bird at our school. The
Australian Magpie is a large butcher bird with similar pied plumage
and a black tipped strong, hooked beak. They have red eyes. Males and
females are similar, with glossy black and white colouring and a bold white
patch on the nape which is common to all types of Australian
Magpies. They grow from 38 to 44 cm. Young Magpies are duller and their
feathers are fluffier.
 Voice:
Magpies have a beautiful warbling voice and their call is called "carolling".
It is heard across Australia every day in the bush, on farms and in urban
backyards. They call for their mates, and also to warn other birds
that this is their territory. WHen they are distressed, the notes become
shorter. Young magpies begging for food call is very insistent.
Click here to
hear a Magpie call.
Habitat:
Magpies are found right across Australia. They need open ground to
feed, and some trees to roost in and this sort of land can be found in most
places as can the Magpie. Australian Magpies have adapted well to the
increase of cities and towns and they can be found in most suburban parks,
gardens and back yards.
Food: Magpies eat worms and ground-dwelling invertebrates such as
insects and spiders. Magpies use their long beak to peck and probe into any
crevice likely to contain food.
Breeding:
In Spring and Summer, they defend their young fiercely. They will
bomb dive and peck you. Magpies live in a complex social system. Each family
flock has a dominate male, two or more females and often several subordinate
males. Magpies occupy permanent territories which vary from roughly 10 to 20
hectares and are used for feeding, roosting and nesting.
Breeding occurs from July to February (depending on local climate). The
female makes the nest on her own and is a rough basket shape made of sticks
in a tree. They often line it with softer material and in sheep grazing
areas they will even use wool caught on bushes etc. The female lays 3 to 5
eggs which are blue or green blotched and streaked with brown. These hatch
in around 20 days. The female hatches and rears their young without any help
from the male, until they are ready to leave the e4nst at
approximately 24 days. During this time the male defends the nest, and
if a threat appears to be very serious, the female will leave the nest to
help deter the "threat" as well. Once the young have left the nest all
members of the group help in educating, protecting, and caring for them.
Males show the young birds how to forage for food.
Reference:
Information - Unique Australian Web site.
Photos
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©
A. Readman, Wayne Reed
Some information and pictures were taken from children's charts and
where credited to that child does not claim to be original information.
Where possible, permission to reproduce has been sought and ownership
credited. Any infringement of copyright is purely unintentional and
ownership of pictures and information used is freely acknowledged.
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