Welcome Committee

The welcome committee today on our deck. All are pleased to see Paladian home safely.
I have also just back blipped for the last 2 days. Now for the difference between our Aussie magpies and European magpies. A questions raised below by Jenni.


The Australian magpie (Cracticus tibicen) is a medium-sized black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. A member of the Artamidae, it is closely related to the butcherbirds (but not to the European magpie, which is a corvid).  The bird was named by early settlers for its similarity in colouration to the European magpie, although it is a different species.

At one stage, the Australian magpie was considered to be three separate species, although zones of hybridisation between forms reinforced the idea of a single species with several subspecies, nine of which are now recognised.

The adult Australian magpie is a fairly robust bird ranging from 37 to 43 cm (14.5–17 in) in length, with distinctive black and white plumage, gold brown eyes and a solid wedge-shaped bluish-white and black bill. 

The male and female are similar in appearance, and can be distinguished by differences in back markings. With its long legs, the Australian magpie walks rather than waddles or hops and spends much time on the ground.

Described as one of Australia's most accomplished songbirds, the Australian magpie has an array of complex vocalisations. 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. It is also extremely intelligent, similar to the European magpie.

The Eurasian magpie, European magpie (Finnish magpie), or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout Europe, much of Asia and northwest Africa. It is one of several birds in the crow family named as magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. 

In Europe, "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the European magpie; it is the only magpie in Europe outside the Iberian Peninsula.

The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all animals. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as is found in chimpanzees, orangutans and humans.