Tags
Australian magpie, birding, birdwatching, British birds, European magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, Magpie, New Zealand birds, New Zealand magpie, Pica pica
What I grew up in New Zealand thinking of as a magpie is nothing like the magpies I see here in Wales, which is not really surprising as they are totally different species and the New Zealand bird is actually Australian. Confused?
The bird that lives in Britain is the European magpie (Pica pica) (pictured above) and is a member of the corvid family, a relative of crows, rooks and jackdaws. The bird that lives in New Zealand is Gymnorhina tibicen, one of the nine species of Australian magpie (there were thought to be two Australian species in New Zealand but this is now in doubt).
The Australian birds are called magpies because of their physical resemblance to the European birds – it was quite common for British settlers to name birds, animals and plants after similar ones ‘at home’. Australian birds from Tasmania and Victoria were introduced into several areas of New Zealand in the 1860s and 1870s by local Acclimatisation Societies to control pasture pests like grass grubs, and their supposed importance to New Zealand agriculture was the reason they were afforded legal protection till 1951.
The magpies in New Zealand can be very aggressive birds, occasionally attacking both animals and humans that stray too close to their nests during the breeding season, though their nests are usually built high up in tall trees so their attacks are, in fact, unwarranted.
earthstar 
Interesting round-up of Magpies.Did early settlers transfer their superstions as well as the name? I’m pleased the European ones are less aggressive to people, there are so many of them here and they already have a bad enoug reputation.
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I hadn’t heard much in the way of superstitions but some facebook friends have been telling me what they’d heard from mothers and grannies. I guess it depends on your ancestry.
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And we have Copsychus saularis – the Oriental magpie-robin, which was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae. Much smaller than the Magpies that you are familiar with Annie, certainly not aggressive unless it’s amongst themselves come breeding season. Often seen in groups of 5 – 6. They have an amazing vocal repertoire, often catching me out, when I hear birdsong out in the garden and think there is a new kid on the patch. Apparently they were kept as a caged bird because of their song, I have’nt spotted any down here where I live fortunately. If only I could say the same for the Red-whiskered bulbul … sadly not. They are a prized songbird fetching huge amounts of money.
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Your bird sounds lovely, Viv. So many different magpies around the world. 🙂
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It is like other way around magpie😉
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Indeed it is! 😉
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Curiously, I was looking at information about Australian/New Zealand magpies just recently as I found a video of a pair of young ones playing in a garden, with one of them hanging upside down from an item of washing on a washing line (deliberately, by the look of it), and its sibling was trying to get to down (I can find a link to it for you, if you like).
While they’re a different family, they do behave very like crows, apart from the aggression, though our crows can take exception to individuals and be very aggressive indeed.
Are they intelligent birds? They do look like they are.
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Hi Val, Yes, they are intelligent and excellent mimics. Some people have kept them as pets and trained them to talk and whistle certain tunes. Re the agression, try googling images for “bike helmets magpie” for some interesting solutions to cyclists attacks by magpies.
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Mmmm… I see what you mean.
I seem to remember a buzzard or kite years ago that was very interested in my hat…
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Hehehe. 🙂
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