Table Of ContentUNUSUAL BROWN VARIANT OF WESTERN
MAGPIE IN PERTH
By JOSEPH FROUDIST
17 Tabard St., Greenwood, Western Australia
The Australian Magpie this group tends to split into 2
(Gymnorhina tibicen) is found in sub-families of 19 and 14 indi¬
lightly wooded country in all viduals respectively. At times the
but the driest and wettest parts two subgroups come together,
of mainland Australia and and also quite regularly there is a
Tasmania (Storr and Johnstone break-up into many much
(1979). This species has adapted smaller groups, with some indi¬
well to urban areas, and is viduals foraging on their own.
common in Australian cities. The group’s territory covers the
Australian Magpies divide broad¬ whole park, plus the yards of
ly into two main groups - the surrounding and nearby homes.
white-backed forms and the There is a remarkable lack of
black-backed forms, each with a aggression between all these indi¬
number of sub-species. The viduals, both towards each other,
Western Magpie is G.tibicen and towards humans and dogs,
dorsalis, one of the white-backed even at magpie breeding time.
sub-species, and is found only in
In October 2009 I noticed a
South-Western Australia. All
female with one juvenile of ap¬
Australian Magpies are primarily
proximately three-quarter adult
black and white, with varying
size feeding on the ground in the
amounts of grey, especially in
south-western corner of the
juveniles and females. Adult
park, away from the rest of the
female Western Magpies are very
group. The juvenile was very
distinctive in that the mantle
unusual in that the plumage was
(upper back) has black or dark
brown and white, and did not
grey feathers edged with greyish
exhibit any grey or black. 1
white, as can be seen in Figure 1.
spotted these two birds many
In a park in my suburb of times over the next few weeks,
Greenwood (a northern suburb always in the same location, and
of Perth, Western Australia) never in the company of the rest
there is a large extended family of the group. The possibility had
of magpies, consisting of a to be considered that the un¬
dominant male, two subordinate usually coloured juvenile might
males, 27 females, and three have been rejected by the group,
young raised to adulthood in and that the mother was
2009/2010. For much of the time, isolating it in order to protect it.
305
In late November, however, I juvenile magpie, although some¬
spotted the mother and juvenile what lighter in colour than those
feeding on the ground with an of other juveniles. Figure 3 shows
adult male and five adult it perched near to a normally
females in a location further east coloured young magpie. This
along the south side of the park, picture shows the very pale
and there was clearly no plumage on the underside. The
aggression toward the brown and beak is paler than the beak of the
white variant magpie. Accept¬ other youngster, and uniformly
ance by the group was confirmed pale.
in the next few weeks when I
It can be seen from Figures 5 and
observed the brown variant and
6 that there have been sig¬
its mother gradually extending
nificant changes in the
their range, and flying with the
appearance of the brown variant
rest of the group to forage in the
in the period between January
park, and front yards south of
and April. The beak has de¬
the park. The mother and
veloped a darker tip, more like
juvenile continued to extend
the adult beak as in Figure 1.
their range of activity into 2010,
While the eye is still brown, it
and became active throughout
has darkened in colour. Darker
the full range of this family
brown feathers are appearing on
group. Figure 2 was taken in
the face, and there are also darker
January 2010. The brown variant
brown wing and tail feathers
was foraging in the front yard of
beginning to emerge. The back of
a home opposite the park, in the
the neck and the upper back are
company of its mother and
beginning to develop quite com¬
about 10 other magpies from the
plex markings (Figure 5). The
family group. It can be seen that
back of the head changes from
the juvenile has brown and
white to pale grey to darker grey,
white plumage, with no black or
and then greyish dark brown.
grey plumage at all. The
These feathers show some pale
patterning is very similar to that
edging in the neck area, then
of a normal juvenile magpie,
slight pale edging on some of the
with brown more or less replac¬
mantle feathers, with a white
ing black and grey. There is not a
spot at the distal apex of the
lot of variation in the shade of
feather. This looks like a modi¬
brown, and the breast is slightly
fied version of the Western
mottled. There are paler feathers
Magpie markings as seen in the
on the back of the neck and
normal adult female in Figure 1.
upper back, and white areas on
the wing and rump, with white Figure 6 shows that the sides of
colouration extending over the the brown variant are still pale
first third or so of the upper tail. brown, while the neck has dark¬
Adult magpies have brownish ened underneath. The develop¬
red eyes - the brown variant has ment of grey feathers can be
the typical brown eyes of a clearly seen on the upper neck,
306
Figures: 1. Normal Adult Female
Western Magpie. 2. Brown and
White Varient Juvenile in Front
Yard. January 2010. 3. Brown
Variant Roosting near one of the
other young Magpies. January 2010.
4. Brown variant extending its
wing to show the very pale flight
feathers. 5. Brown variant as a Sub-
Adult. 6. Brown variant in April
2010
along with the paler edging. The males of all the white-backed
white rump is clearly visible. races are very similar in their
More changes in plumage can be markings, and the photo by
expected in coming years. Male Harrison appears to be of an
sub-adult Australian Magpies adult male, with brown replacing
have plumage similar to the black. There is no obvious grey
females, and it is not possible to colouration present in any of the
determine the sex of the brown feathers
variant at this stage. Adult male
in the period between the
Western Magpies take about 4
beginning of March and mid-
years to develop their full adult
April 2010 the young adult
plumage (Storr and Johnstone,
brown variant was driven away
1979). Both adult males and by its mother and became inde¬
females of the Western Magpie
pendent, foraging freely on its
continue to change their appear¬
own or with members of the
ance as they get older. The males family group. Unfortunately it
gradually develop more white in
seemed to have suffered an
the tail, and older females start to
injury to its right wing at this
lose the white edging on their time (see Figure 5) and had a
backs as they get older, and it
“lazy” wing, however this did not
may disappear completely in old
seem to affect its flying abilities,
birds (Slater, Slater and Slater,
and it flew as strongly as the
2004). It is clear that the unusual other members of the group.
and attractive brown variant
With the mother no longer pro¬
will continue to change in tecting this young adult, there
appearance throughout its life.
was some aggressive behaviour
Fully white colour morphs in the towards it, particularly from the
adult males, and this bird was
Western Magpie have been
observed in the past, and a fully increasingly foraging on its own,
black magpie has been reported or on the outside of the group at
this time. It seems likely that the
in one of the Eastern States of
wing damage was caused by
Australia. A photo of another
another magpie.
brown and white magpie has
been published on the Aus¬ The brown variant formed a
tralian Broadcasting Corporation liaison with another young
website in the “Photos” section by magpie for a short period, but
Grant Harrison, and the sighting this ceased. On the 27th of April
was made in the latter half of 2010, the day before completion
2009 near Kangarilla, 41 km from of this article, I observed the
Adelaide. This location is within brown variant foraging in the
the described range of the close company of three females
Magpie sub-species G. tibicen and an adult male, with no
telonocua, another of the white- aggression toward the variant
backed sub-species of Magpie (see being displayed. On the morning
Simpson and Day, 2004). The of the 28th, I again observed the
308
brown variant foraging peace¬ REFERENCES
fully with an adult male and
SIMPSON, K., DAY, N. 2004. Field
three females, in a different area
Guide to the Birds of Australia 7th
of the park. Perhaps this was the
Edition. Penguin Group, Aus¬
beginning of a new sub-group. It
tralia.
is surmised that previous minor
aggression towards the brown SLATER, P., SLATER, P., SLATER,
variant may have been part of R 2004. The Slater Field Guide to
the normal magpie group process Australian Birds. Reed New
of dominance confirmation and Holland
pecking order establishment, as STORR, G.M., JOHNSTONE, R.E.
opposed to a rejection of a visu¬ 1979. Field Guide to the Birds of
ally unusual individual, and that Western Australia. Western Aus¬
the aggression will continue to tralian Museum
settle down more over time. I am
AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING
not aware of any other infor¬
CORPORATION WEBSITE:
mation being available on social
www.abc.net.au
interactions between other mag¬
pie colour variants and their
family groups, and 1 will con¬
tinue to observe developments
with great interest.
Update 1: September 2010 - the sub-group of 5 individuals
including the brown variant had left the park and
presumably moved to establish their own territory
elsewhere
Update 2: November 2011 - the original brown variant has
not been sited again, however on several occasions I have
observed a new brown variant in a nearby park, one block
from the original park. This bird is three-quarters grown,
and is developing adult plumage. It wasfirst observed on the
ground being fed by an adult male. The family group
comprises one adult male and a small number of females,
all normally coloured.
Update 3: January 2012 - the new brown variant has not
been sighted since December 2011.
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