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Australian Magpie

gymnorhina tibicen

The Australian Magpie is one of Australia's most iconic and highly intelligent avian species. Renowned for its complex, flute-like carolling, this medium-sized black and white bird is a common sight in parks, gardens, and woodlands. Despite their friendly interactions during most of the year, they are famous for their protective 'swooping' behavior during the spring nesting season, fiercely defending their territory from perceived threats, including humans. Highly social and cognitively advanced, they live in stable, territorial groups and can recognize individual human faces.

Hábitat: Typically found in open woodlands, agricultural lands, suburban parks, and grassy playing fields where they can forage on the ground.

Aspecto

The Australian Magpie is a robust bird, measuring between 37 and 43 cm in length, with a wingspan of 65 to 85 cm. It features a striking piebald plumage of solid black and pure white, though the exact patterns vary across its nine subspecies. Generally, it has a white nape, upper tail, and shoulder patches that contrast sharply with its black body. Its eyes are a distinctive reddish-brown, and its powerful, wedge-shaped bill is a pale bluish-white tipped with black.

ReinoAnimaliaFiloChordataClaseAvesOrdenPasseriformesFamiliaArtamidaeGéneroGymnorhina

Australian Magpie

Categoría

Aves

Rareza

Common

Peligro

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Snaps

¡Sé la primera persona en hacer un snap!

Datos interesantes

Their nesting defense, or 'swooping', is famously known to Australians as 'swooping season' and typically only lasts about six weeks.

They are so cognitively advanced that they have been documented working together to remove tracking devices placed on them by scientists.

Unlike many other songbirds that hop, Australian Magpies walk or run gracefully along the ground.

Habilidades especiales

Capable of mimicking over 15 species of birds, as well as human speech, sirens, and domestic animals.

Can distinguish between individual humans and remember specific faces, categorizing them as friends or threats for years.

Utilizes complex social structures where group members take turns watching for predators while others forage.

Medidas y detalles

Longitud: 37+ cm
Envergadura: 65+ cm
Peso: 0.22+ kg
Esperanza de vida: 15+ años
Top Speed: 45 km/h
Tamaño de la puesta: 2+
Incubación: 20+ días
Distancia de migración: 0 km

Dieta y alimentación

Mainly insectivorous, foraging on the ground for invertebrates, but will also consume small reptiles, frogs, seeds, and fruit.

Alimentos principales

Scarab beetle larvae
Earthworms
Crickets
Spiders
Skinks
Grain seeds

Método de búsqueda

Foraging Probingout Of Sight Prey By Sound And Sight On The Ground Surface Or Just Below It Using Their Powerful Beak To Dig Or Flip Debris And Soil Clods To Find Insects And Worms Which They Can Even Hear Moving Beneath The Earth