Saturday, June 26, 2021

The Pied Currawong

Birds of  eastern Australia's wooded countryside
From the tip of Cape York through eastern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria  they are known far and wide
Crow sized black birds with white on the wings and tail and bright yellow eyes
They are not popular with orchardists and gardeners and farmers which is not a surprise
Since they eat orchard fruits and spread cacti in their droppings in the seeds of prickly pear
Among country people their friends are quite rare
They eat eggs and nestlings of small birds they have an omnivorous diet
And are known to eat a baby bird in a single bite
In flat nest of sticks lined with soft material on high branch of tree
The female lay pink spotted brown eggs of mostly three
To sound rather melodious their one claim to fame
And their kurrawong sounding song gives rise to their name
Once seen and once heard you will never again get them wrong
They are unmistakeable the pied currawong.

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