I have been noticing some young magpies in my neighbourhood (their feathers are grey not the bold black and white of the adult birds) and then I saw a few magpie books in the library where I work as a volunteer. My friend at Kinderbookswitheverything talked about magpies in this post from September, 2022. Also in September I listened to a fascinating podcast on our ABC radio Conversations program with Darryl Jones, Professor of Ecology at Griffith University.
The Australian magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) is a black and white passerine bird native to Australia and southern New Guinea. The birds called magpies in Australia are not related to the magpies in the rest of the world.
What Does It Look Like?
- The head, belly and tail are all black.
- There is some white on its wings, lower back and tail, and the back of its head.
- The beak is long and sharp. It is white/blue-grey in colour with a black tip.
- Its legs are skinny and black.
- Its eyes are small and brown.
Here are some picture books:
In her post my friend from Kinderbookswitheverything also mentions an Aussie Nibble title from 2005 which could be in some school libraries (The Naughty Magpie) and a very old book which was first published in 1971 (The Windmill at Magpie Creek by Christobel Mattingley). I confess I have not read Magpie Island by Colin Thiele (1974).
Read more about our magpie:
Australian Animal Learning Zone
With older students you might look at one of our very special and powerful Australian children's picture books - Fox.
The Coat of Arms for South Australia features the magpie.
1 comment:
I love the word 'swoop'. It is gentle and powerful at the same time. I once had a great discussion with a year 5 class about whether or not it was onomatopoeia?
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