Male black head with wide white collar around neck with a black back. White shoulder, wing band, rump and undertail coverts. The white tail has a black band on the end. Under parts and wings black.

 

The females collar and lower back is light grey. The juvenile magpie is like the female but grey-brown not black.

 

The magpie has variable species, with different markings.

Voice familiar flute-like carolling. Habitat is open forest, urban and agricultural land, the magpie is in fact found in most parts of Australia. Its flight is strong and direct. Magpies breed in spring, they build a nest made of sticks and twigs lined with dry grasses and rootlets, placed high in a tree fork, they lay 2-5 eggs a bluish green in colour with streaks and spots.

Magpies are omnivorous as well as partial scavengers, feeding on reptiles, small birds, mammals and invertebrates, their diet can also include fruits and seed. It is of utmost importance that you do not feed these birds, as wildlife carers we see a lot of magpies and butcherbirds come into care due to malnutrition, this is a direct result of well meaning people feeding the birds, but they come to rely on this food source and as a result do not eat the varied diet that they need to survive and breed.

In springtime it is sad to see the young birds with birth defects, not able to survive, all due to the parent birds having eaten the wrong food fed to them by people. If you wish to attract this type of bird to your yard, make a compost heap in your garden, and watch the magpies and butcher birds compete for the many worms and grubs this will create, at the same time the birds will turn your compost, and you will be doing the and your garden a favour


Reference: Field Guide to the Birds Of Australia

Simpson & Day

Every Australian Bird Illustrated, Rigby