Pied Currawong

In my front yard stands a mature spotted gum. And, although I cannot see it, somewhere in the tree’s canopy there is a nest.

I often see the large, black birds fly up into the tree, but once under cover of the tallest branches, their home can't be seen. 

But I know they're there. I can hear the calls: each one a succession of three clear ringing notes, the last one ending in a shimmering vibrato.

In their Regional Field Guide to Birds: South-east Coast and Ranges, Graham Pizzey and Frank Knight describe the currawong's “voice” as “loud, falsetto ‘currar’, descending ‘crik crik bewaiir’ or ‘jabawok! jabawok!’; long wolf-whistle ‘weeeooo’.”

You can tell the Pied Currawong by the small patches of white on the ends of its tail feathers and towards the tip of each wing. It has less white in its plumage than the Magpie (with which it is sometimes confused) and can be easily distinguished by its bright yellow eye.

photo credit: Pied Currawong via photopin (license)

Pizzey and Knight say the Pied Currawong is widely found across the mainland but not in Tasmania. The birds are happy to live in many types of habitat: forests, scrub, woodlands, farmland and urban gardens – like mine.

SW – Post 5