The Australian Magpie is an inquisitive bird...anxious to investigate everything.
So common to Australia are these everyday black-and-white birds, you may need to be a visitor to appreciate them...they're everywhere.
The locals disregard them routinely, but pedestrians and bike riders heed them.
During the nesting season, Aug.-Oct., magpies vigorously defend a territory, so be warned.
Magpies may attack you!
As a bike rider, being struck from the rear by this crow-sized bird could be quite startling. It could cause a bike rider to crash. Some cyclists have taken to wearing helmets with harmless plastic spikes to ward off attacking magpies.
(helmut spike photo, link below)
The Australian Magpie is a ground foraging bird. Scratching and probing the ground for food fills many, many magpie hours.
Invertebrates, small mammals, grains and nuts compose his diet.
Juveniles spend a large part of their day begging the adults for food. The female does all the feeding of the nestlings, while the male feeds her. The fledglings beg for food for the first six months until they are routinely ignored.
To enjoy the Australian Magpie you need to step back and see him with new eyes. Not with ho-hum, not with fear, but with the sense of humor he projects.
He is a strange, but enjoyable bird!
Therein lies the visitor's appreciation of the Australian Magpie.
Allan
Credits: Wikipedia
Helmut link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_magpie#/media/File:Hedgehog_hat.JPG
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