the black-throated magpie-jay is a corvid species found in northern mexico. this bird has raucous almost parrot-like calls and typical corvid intelligence. they are known for their extremely long tails and slightly curled crests. these birds are omnivorous and their varied diets include eggs, insects, and fruit.
she is inquisitive
i’m just a teenage magpie babie
The Australian Magpie is a medium sized passerine native to all parts of Australia. Magpies are closely related to the other Australian black and white birds, Butcherbirds and Currawongs. The Australian Magpie can reach 45cm in length, a wingspan of 85cm and a weight of 350g.
The Australian Magpie was named for its similarity in colouring to the European Magpie, which is also black and white. Aussie Maggies are one the countries' most well known songbirds. Early mornings in bushland suburbs are often full of the chorus of the territorial Magpies.
Although much of the year Magpies are a passive bird, in some months of Autumn and Spring, they become aggressively territorial, and viciously attack any intruder near their nest. They will even chase birds of prey from the area. But they are infamous for their attacks on humans, which can result in serious injury to the head and face. Many bike riders and pedestrians wear specially decorated hats to try and ward off Magpies during this time.
Song Breath
Australian Magpie - Cracticus tibicen
Photographer: Angela Robertson Buchanan
Here's a bit of a 5 minute sketch for tonight, not up to my usual standard, but I wanted to highlight a specific thing that I may turn into a bigger piece eventually.
(Tldr; the word magpie has come to mean black and white, and so many things are named after it)
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The term "magpie" is derived from two origins. The bird it was originally named for, the European Magpie, was named for Magaret, denoting chattiness(?) and old Latin "pīca", literally the Latin word for European Magpies. Subsequently, the term "pied" came about, which describes something with two colours, usually black and white.
So, the word "Magpie" was given to many other animals, often birds, that displayed colour-schemes similar to the European Magpie.
For example, the Black Magpie, although closely related to the European Maggie, comes from a family of colourful birds, and is one of the only species in its genus that is black and white.
The Australian Magpie, unlike these other two, is not even in the corvid genus, but is still a songbird, and was named specifically after the European species. And the Magpie Lark, which may have been named after either the Australian or European Magpie, is a type of flycatcher, distantly related to the others by a large margin.
Also pictured here is the Magpie Butterfly, a close relative of Monarch Butterflies, which is white with black splotches all over it. (Sorry for the massive infodump)
Some Australian Magpies (Cracticus tibicen) enjoying a treat of mince and Wombaroo mix.
It’s important not to supplement feed wildlife too often so they don’t become dependent on you for their main food source. It’s also important to feed them healthy food if you chose to supplement feed! For instance, mince and dog food is actually not good for magpies… so feed healthy alternatives like this Wombaroo mix instead. Of course, an unhealthy treat isn’t bad so long as it’s in moderation ;)
Precious Avya.
