Birding

Australian Magpies in Victoria

March 1, 2020 by Clare M 2 Comments

Late last year I mentioned the presence of Australian Magpies around Broome. There is a variation in the plumage of Australian Magpies across Australia and as such they looked different in Victoria. Whenever I walked from Foster to Fish Creek or Foster to Toora I encountered several family groups of Australian Magpies. They were not always cooperative when I wanted to photograph them, but I did manage to capture their plumage from most angles over several days. The significant difference between Broome’s Australian Magpies and those in the south of Australia is the presence of a completely white back in the south.

Australian Magpie

I was able to capture some photographs of a juvenile Australian Magpie. The plumage was mostly grey, but already the white back was clearly defined.

Juvenile Australian Magpie

On warmer days I sometimes encountered Australian Magpies “sun-bathing”. We have observed several bird species displaying this characteristic of spreading their wings out wide on hot days.

Australian Magpie “sunbathing”

I was grateful to never encounter any aggressive behaviour towards me by any Australian Magpies in Victoria. In fact I have never been attacked by an Australian Magpie anywhere!

Written by Clare M
Clare and her husband, Grant, have lived permanently in Broome, Western Australia since 1999 after living in various outback locations around Western Australia and Darwin. She has lived in the Middle East and the United States and traveled extensively in Europe. She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of Broome's coastline by bicycle and on foot. She chooses not to participate in social media, but rather wander off into the bush for peace and tranquility. Thankfully she can write posts in advance and get away from technology!