Thursday, November 24, 2011

Currawong


This fine fellow is a currawong. Currawongs (named for their call) are sometimes mistaken for magpies, but can be easily distinguished by their bright yellow eyes (magpie eyes are a red-brown colour). Currawongs also have less white in their feathers. They're a big bird - close to 50cm - and their numbers used to be controlled by the availability of food during winter. Unfortunately, many introduced garden plants produce berries in winter, and the currawongs are quite happy to eat them, so their numbers have grown, especially in urban areas, and they're now a threat to smaller birds such as Fairy Wrens. They've even been known to hunts in groups and carry off possums!

2 comments:

Pierre BOYER said...

Greetings from France Karen...

Pierre

Leeds daily photo said...

Yes, I can see why people might mistake them. Here in the UK we have the same problem with our magpies, when I was a boy they were to some extent kept in check by culling. This does not happen any more and so our small song birds are paying a heavy price. Between cats and magpies life is tough on our bird life, since we have decimated their natural home in the countryside.