Boredom Busters - Photography - Magpies

The Magpie, often scorned during swooping season, but can be very friendly and bold. A strong bird with a loud and unmistakable call, you either like it or not!  The bird was named for its similarity in colouration to the European magpie; it was a common practice for early settlers to name plants and animals after European counterparts. However, the European magpie is a member of the Corvidae, while its Australian counterpart is placed in the family Artamidae (although both are members of a broad corvid lineage).

The adult Australian magpie is a fairly robust bird ranging from 37 to 43 cm in length, with distinctive black and white plumage, gold brown eyes and a solid wedge-shaped bluish-white and black bill. With its long legs, the Australian magpie walks rather than waddles or hops and spends much time on the ground.

The male and female are similar in appearance, and can be distinguished by differences in back markings. The male has pure white feathers on the back of the head and the female has white blending to grey feathers on the back of the head.

Described as one of Australia's most accomplished songbirds, the Australian magpie has an array of complex vocalisations. You can imitate the calls and, if you do it well, actually get some form of response. The catch to to understand what it means ! Probably in my case "what?"

It is omnivorous, with the bulk of its varied diet made up of invertebrates. It is generally sedentary and territorial throughout its range. Common and widespread, it has adapted well to human habitation and is a familiar bird of parks, gardens and farmland in Australia and New Guinea. 

This species is commonly fed by households around the country, but in spring (and occasionally in autumn) a small minority of breeding magpies (almost always males) become aggressive and swoop and attack those who approach their nests.

The family group we have in our yard have never swooped and when I am mowing on the ride-on will wait for me to approach only a metre of so away, looking for grubs which I have disturbed. They will follow me all round the garden.

The Magpie, quite majestic and a very imposing subject to photograph if you can get up close or have a steady hand with a long lens!

Enjoy

Information - Wikipedia.com

Photos Copyright John Munns