Australian Magpie

The Australian Magpie (Cracticus tibicen) is one of Australia’s most iconic birds — bold, intelligent, and found in backyards, parks and open bushland right across the continent. Unlike its European namesake, it belongs to the artamid family and is a species entirely its own, famous for its complex, melodious warbling that many Australians consider the true sound of the bush. Highly social, magpies live in territorial groups, recognise individual human faces, and are known to form lasting bonds with people who earn their trust — though they’ll readily defend their nesting territory with a swift swoop come spring. These photographs capture the magpie going about its daily life in its natural element.