It took me a while to identify this youngster. My choice was a magpie (but magpies’ eyes are red), a butcher bird (but this little fellow’s white cap is too big), or a currawong (but there’s too much white on this youngster). Then I read that a juvenile magpie has dark eyes. That clinched it.

So, here’s a juvenile Australia Magpie, playfully investigating a hole in a tree and a stray bit of fluff. Every now and then, the bird ducks and eyes the skies fearfully, as if expecting a sudden attack from above. As anyone knows who’s ever watched Australian birds in action, that fear is completely justified.

At one stage in the video, the warbling call of adult magpies makes the little one perk up and fluff his feathers in expectation of a feed.

Common name: Australian Magpie

Scientific name: Gymnorhina tibicen

Approximate length: 37 cm

Date spotted: 6 August 2016

Season: Winter

Location: Manly Dam Reserve, New South Wales, Australia

Latitude/longitude: 33°46’58.6″S 151°15’18.9″E