Australian magpie

The Australian magpie is a sturdy black-and-white songbird with a strong, pointed bill. It lives across most of Australia and in southern New Guinea, and people have also introduced it to New Zealand. Despite its name, it is not a close relative of the magpies found across Europe and Asia.

Its rich, flute-like carolling is one of Australia's best-known bird sounds. Magpies use songs and many other calls to communicate. A family may use the same patch of open ground and trees throughout the year, although their social life differs from place to place. Some live mainly as pairs, while others form groups with several adults.

During the day, a magpie walks across lawns, fields and woodland clearings, watching and listening for food. Insects make up much of its diet. It also eats spiders, earthworms, seeds, fruit, carrion and occasional small animals. Some beetle grubs are hidden under the soil, but a magpie can hear their tiny movements and dig down with its bill.

Australian magpies are careful learners. In a Western Australian experiment, females paid more attention when they heard an unfamiliar human voice than when they heard a familiar one. Some groups also have helpers that bring food to chicks, but cooperative care varies between families and regions.

A female builds a bowl-shaped stick nest high in a tree and usually lays three to five eggs. Most magpies never swoop people. A small minority defend the area around their nest or young for a short part of the breeding season. Giving nesting birds room and following local safety advice helps people and magpies share parks and streets calmly.

The species is assessed globally as Least Concern, and its overall trend is listed as increasing. That does not mean scientists know exactly how many Australian magpies exist. Long-term studies of particular neighbourhoods help researchers understand how families, survival and breeding change over time.