Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbird

In our bird-rich nation, the magpie is arguably the best researched, if not the best known, native species and is also one of the foremost songbirds in the world.The Australian magpie enjoys the status as one of our culturally important icons. The kookaburra may signify Australia but the magpie has a special place in the heart of Australians. This may be so because magpies, unlike kookaburras, are found almost anywhere in Australia and they often share suburban backyards and rural properties with human populations.¹ Because magpies are territorial, they tend to stay in the one plot for as long as they can hold it and this tends to facilitate contact with humans.We can get to know magpies well because they also tend to live relatively long lives. Their life expectancy is round 25 years, and some claim even longer, up to 30 years.² Their life span is thus greater than most of domestic companion animals and such stable presence may also bring about close acquaintances with long-term human residents. Most importantly, though, magpies themselves show signs of taming and warming to humans as companions.