One of our most iconic species is none other than the Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen). This common and conspicuous bird is found in every state and territory in Australia with eight recognised subspecies. They fall broadly into two broad groups of ‘black-backed’ (4 ssp) and ‘white-backed’ (3 ssp) magpies, of varying sizes and amount of white in their upperparts with hybrids where groups overlap. In Queensland, we are most familiar with the black-backed magpie of G. t. tibicen in the southeast, or G. t. terraereginae further north and inland. Adult males can be differentiated by their strongly pied plumage and clean white nape. Attaining their adult plumage after 3 years. Females are harder to tell apart from immature males – both with a greyish tinge to their nape. Young birds are quite obvious – much browner and softer in plumage than adults, with an all-dark bill and dark brown eye instead of reddish-brown.
Peak breeding season for Australian Magpies is around August-November, a fact that is well-known due to their behaviour at this time of year (more on that later). Clutch sizes are reported to be 3-5 eggs with an incubation period of ~20 days by females only. Females are also the primary carer for young birds which can stay dependent for quite some time, as we’ve all seen of large ‘babies’ still begging for food. Many of us have stories of our neighbourhood magpies, as they are often quite confiding and bold in residential areas, generally living in social groups between 2-12 individuals. One of the reasons they are so charismatic and capture our interest is their intelligence and social behaviour.
Australian Magpies have the capacity to learn to manipulate objects, participate in play and play-fights and even recognise human faces. There is no doubt they are highly intelligent birds, but a recent study revealed an even greater level of avian intelligence – altruistic behaviour. Researchers at the University of Sunshine Coast attached satellite trackers on birds to understand their behaviour in the urban landscape. Unexpectedly, the magpies quickly learnt how to remove the harness of tagged birds in their group. They were able to find the only weak point of the harness and helped remove the trackers, perhaps the first record of birds to do this – demonstrating a high level of cooperation and problem-solving abilities.
Social groups play a large role in learnt behaviours and cognitive ability. Another study in Western Australia showed higher intelligence in bigger social groups, using an experiment to test the learning abilities of young fledglings. This demonstrates that the social environment of Australian Magpies has a higher influence on intelligence than that of genetics. Another learnt behaviour is that of their springtime swooping behaviour that strikes fear into the heart of every cyclist. Male magpies tend to swoop during breeding season to defend their nest and territory. While it may seem quite prevalent during that time of the year, only 10% of nesting magpies swoop and only in urban areas where there is high human interaction, though it is likely the same bird that swoops year after year. These incidents are so well-known that there is a website called Magpie Alert to help us avoid more aggressive neighbourhood magpies on our morning rides or walks: magpiealert.com
There is so much that can be said about Australian Magpies. Their high intelligence, curiousity, social behaviour and beautiful song make them an endearing species, one of many beautiful and unique birds we are lucky to have in this country.
References
- Crampton, J., Frere, C.H. and D.A. Potvin 2022. Australian Magpies ‘Gymnorhina tibicen’ cooperate to remove tracking devices. Australian Field Ornithology, Vol. 39, pp. 7-11.
- Coleman, J.T. unpublished. Ageing and Sexing Criteria for South East Queensland Birds.
- Higgins, P.J. and Peter, J.M. 2002. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
- Jones, D.N. 2004. Living with a dangerous neighbour: Australian magpies in a suburban environment. Proceedings 4th International Urban Wildlife Symposium, pp. 146-152.
- Speechley, E.M., Ashton B.J., Thornton, A., Simmons, L.W and A.R. Ridley 2024. Heritability of cognitive performance in wild Western Australian magpies. Royal Society Open Science, 11: 231399.
