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UNUSUAL 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. 309