Tag:birds of australia
Magpies are some of the most recognisable birds in Australia, famous for their intelligence, beautiful songs, and, let’s be honest, their occasional swooping! These black-and-white characters are often seen in backyards, parks, and even making friends with people. If you love having magpies around and want to give them a little treat, it’s important to know what’s good (and bad) for them to eat.
Magpies Are Super Smart!
Magpies belong to the same bird family as crows and ravens, which means they’re incredibly intelligent. They can recognise human faces, remember people who are kind to them, and even figure out tricky puzzles. Some magpies have even been known to mimic human speech! With brains like that, it’s no wonder they’ve adapted so well to life alongside us.
What Do Magpies Eat in the Wild?
Magpies aren’t fussy eaters—they’ll snack on just about anything they can find! Their natural diet includes:
- Insects like beetles, grasshoppers, and caterpillars
- Small animals such as lizards and frogs
- Seeds and grains
- Fruits and berries
- Carrion (dead animals)
Because they’re such great foragers, they don’t actually need to be fed by humans, but if you want to give them a little extra, it’s best to stick to healthy, natural foods.
What’s Safe to Feed Magpies?
If you want to leave out some food for your feathered friends, ensure it’s something nutritious and good for them. Here are some of the best options:
Good Foods for Magpies:
✅ Raw or lean cooked meat – A great protein boost, but don’t overdo it, and avoid anything salty. ✅ Cooked or raw eggs – Full of nutrients and easy to digest. ✅ Insects and mealworms – These mimic their natural diet and are a great snack. ✅ High-quality dog or cat food (meat-based, not grain-heavy) – If you’re out of other options, a little wet or soaked dry pet food can work. ✅ Unsalted nuts and seeds – Good for variety, but shouldn’t be their main food source. ✅ A little bit of cheese – Adds calcium, but only in small amounts.
Foods to Avoid:
❌ Bread and crackers – No real nutrients, just empty calories. ❌ Processed meats (like bacon, ham, and sausages) – Too salty and full of preservatives. ❌ Sugary or salty foods – Can upset their digestion. ❌ Avocado and chocolate – These are toxic to birds! ❌ Dairy (in large amounts) – Magpies aren’t built to digest lactose, so keep cheese minimal.
Why Mince and Bread Aren’t Good for Magpies
Many people think feeding magpies mince or bread is a kind gesture, but these foods can actually harm them. Mince, especially if given in large amounts, lacks essential nutrients like calcium, which can lead to weak bones and poor health. It also contains too much phosphorus, which can interfere with calcium absorption. Bread, on the other hand, is just empty calories—filling but nutritionally useless. Birds that eat too much bread can become malnourished, as it replaces healthier food sources in their diet. If you want to help magpies thrive, it’s best to offer foods that mimic what they would eat in the wild.
Feeding Magpies the Right Way
While feeding magpies can be a fun way to interact with them, it’s important to do it responsibly. Here are some tips to keep them happy and healthy:
- Don’t overfeed – A little treat now and then is fine, but magpies should still find most of their food naturally.
- Stick to natural foods – The closer to their wild diet, the better!
- Give them water – A shallow dish of fresh water is super helpful, especially on hot days.
- Avoid hand-feeding – It might make them too reliant on humans or even aggressive.
- Enjoy from a distance – Magpies are amazing to watch, so observe without interfering too much.
Why Magpies Matter
Magpies aren’t just fun to have around—they’re also important for the environment. They help control insect populations, clean up carrion, and even spread seeds. Their presence keeps nature in balance, so giving them a little support (without overdoing it) is a great way to appreciate their role in the ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
Magpies are clever, cheeky, and full of personality. Feeding them can be a great way to connect with these amazing birds, as long as you do it the right way. By offering safe, nutritious food in moderation and respecting their wild instincts, you can enjoy their company without causing harm.
So next time you hear that iconic magpie warble, take a moment to admire these incredible birds and maybe even offer them a healthy snack!
The Cape Barren goose (Cereopsis novaehollandiae) is a large, flightless goose native to Australia. It is one of the rarest of the world’s geese, found only in southern Australia, with a large population on Phillip Island. The name comes from Cape Barren Island, where European explorers first sighted the geese. Their distinctive call is loud, deep, pig-like grunts or honks. The male makes a noisy, harsh ‘ark, ark-ark, ark-ark’ while their young make reedy whistles.
Appearance
Their unique grey plumage bears rounded black spots. The tail and flight feathers are blackish, with pink to deep red legs and black feet. In addition, the stubby triangular beak and green cere (skin above the beak) give it a very peculiar expression. Males of this species are slightly larger than females. While the Cape Barren goose has webbed feet, they are significantly less webbed than ducks, allowing them to spend long periods on land.
The Cape Barren Goose can be found across southern Australia. Their preferred habitat is water, such as lakes, dams, lagoons, swamps and rivers. Being herbivores, they graze predominantly on common tussock grass, spear grass, herbs, succulents, pasture grasses, barley, clover, and legumes. Like many seabirds, Cape Barren Geese can drink salty or brackish water; this allows them to remain on offshore islands all year round.
Breeding
The Cape Barren Goose breeds on the offshore islands of Australia and can be aggressive during the July to September breeding season. They lay their eggs in a nest in the tussocks of open grasslands. The male builds the nest from grass and twigs and lines it with feather down. Each breeding pair establishes its territory in autumn, prepares the nest and defends it noisily against other geese. They are monogamous and bond for life. The female lays four to six eggs and incubates them for 35-40 days. Once hatched, both parents share the brooding duties.
Conservation Status
During the 1800s, the Cape Barren Geese were hunted for food and eggs. By the 1950s, the Cape Barren Goose numbers were so low that biologists feared they might be near extinction. As a result, initiatives were taken that since then have increased the goose population to a level where they are no longer considered endangered. However, they remain one of the world’s rarest geese and have been protected since the 1970s.
The Phillip Island population of 3000 cape barren geese started from six birds, introduced in 1984. Tasmania serves them in restaurants, while permits to shoot and eat them were made available in South Australia in 2000.
Globally there are 250 species of owls; of this, 11 species are found in Australia. They are the Barn Owl, Barking Owl, Powerful Owl, Rufous Owl, Masked Owl, Morepork, Greater Sooty Owl, Lesser Sooty Owl, Eastern Grass Owl, Southern Boobook and Christmas Island Boobook.
Owls have long sparked our imaginations; their haunting night calls, silent flight, extraordinary hearing and deadly eyesight has seen them embedded in different cultures as symbols for magic, wisdom and mystery.
Bush Heritage
Characteristics
Owls are masters at silent flight. Their soft, uniquely structured feathers are serrated, affecting the movement of air over the wings. Additionally, the velvety surface of the feathers absorbs any sound made by flapping wings. Their silent flight allows them to pounce on prey with no warning. Owls have incredibly superior eyesight and hearing, and their forward-facing eyes grant them excellent depth perception, which is necessary for low-light hunting.
They can rotate their head 270 degrees, a vital asset when their eyes are fixed and cannot move within their sockets. In addition, their ears are asymmetrical on their head (at different heights on the side of their face), so the sounds reach each ear at different times, aiding them in identifying the exact location of their prey. Owls also have a facial disk around their eyes; this helps focus sounds to their ears, so they hear even the quietest sounds.
Behaviour
Owls are nocturnal (hunting only at night) though some are active at dawn and dusk. They are found in every state of Australia and vary significantly in size; they range from the smallest (Southern Boobook at 36cm tall and around 175g) to the largest (Powerful Owl at 60cm tall and 1.5kg). They live in various habitats, from snowy mountainous areas to deserts, from open wet forests to woodlands and grasslands. The Powerful Owl is territorial and has been known to attack humans, though most are solitary and shy.
Diet
Owls live on a diet of small to medium-sized mammals, birds and insects. Like most birds, they cannot chew and eat their prey whole or will tear off pieces with their powerful, sharp beaks if unable to do so. Some owls, such as the Sooty Owl, eat mainly tree-dwelling mammals such as sugar gliders and small possums. Others prefer land-dwelling lizards or mammals. Like other raptors, owls regurgitate the non-nutritious party of their prey. Several hours after eating, they will produce a pellet from their gizzards of fur and bone. They will then be ready to eat again.
Threats
Habit loss is the biggest threat to Australian owls as they rely on old-growth trees with hollows for nesting and breeding. These hollows take hundreds of years to form. Sadly, land clearing and bushfires are wiping out the hollows at an alarming rate. Another significant threat is secondary poisoning from eating prey such as foxes, feral cats, rabbits and rodents that have taken the bait. Poachers are also a concern, both as live specimens and eggs.
Status
No Australian owl species is on the national threatened species list. Some populations, however, such as the Powerful Owl in Victoria, are vulnerable, and the Masked owl is endangered in SA, Tasman and Victoria.