Many would agree that the magpie is among the best and most prolific songbirds in Australia. Many of us have also been on the receiving end of a not so pleasant magpie experience – Magpies are likely to swoop down and whizz past the very top of your head if you go near their nest during breeding season. It is unusual for them to actually touch you as they swoop by (and even then it’s rarely anything more than a brush), but let me tell you if you don’t see them coming it can frighten the life out of you!
Magpies do not leave their nest for the first month of their lives and continue to be fed by their parents for another two months after that. The young magpies reach a large size fairly quickly but their grey fluffy feathers make them quite distinguishable from the mature adults.
Males have pure white feathers on their back, while the females have more of a white/grey blend. Both the male and female juvenile magpies tend to have the white/grey blend, but you can tell a juvenile magpie from an adult female by those fluffy feathers I mentioned before. The juveniles may also be a little smaller than average too.
Magpies are easily identified and are a very popular Australian bird. Their curious and cheeky nature endears them to many people. They are a common sight in many parts of Australia, including suburban areas, with populations existing in every state and territory.
Goodsir, D. (2008), Facinating Australian Birds, Brolga Publishing Pty. Ltd. p.37.
The Fossicker 
I have lots of magpie memories – some good and some scary experiences. Nice blog!
J. G sent me over here after I did a magpie post this morning too! Always love to find a fellow Aussie blogger 🙂
Thanks for letting me know. It can only be a good thing, the more people know about and appreciate these beautiful birds the better!
The best way to start a day is with a maggie song. You know it’s going to be good:)
There is no better sound to wake up to in my book.
Are they native birds ow are they another import from Europe?
No, very much a native Australian bird. I know there are European magpies, but they are a different type to ours.
Good! Glad it isn’t another import, so many introduced species have such devastating results on the indigenous flora and fauna.