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Pied CurrawongAlternate name(s): "(Pied) Bell Magpie", "Chillawong", "Pied Crow-shrike", "Black Magpie*", "Muttonbird*", "Mountain Magpie*"  Aboriginal name(s): "cur-ow-ung*"
[awaba],
"kirriwong*"
[birbai];
"jalwahng"/"jalwang"/"jarwang"/"jarwan" [bundjalung];
"kilirn" [tjapwurrung]Size: 42-50 cm; wing span 55-67 cm Weight: 320 g (male), 280 g (female), averages |
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Description
Classification
Distribution
Sightings
Photos
Breeding
Nest
Eggs
Behaviour
Food
Call/s
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 Click here for a physical description
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Click here for information on habitat
and range
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Click here for sighting information
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Photos |
Race "graculina"
Not the photos you want? Or are you after even better quality? Have a
look here 
.
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Close-up frontal portrait of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Moggill Regional Park, near Anstead, QLD, April 2017]
Frontal portrait of a Pied Currawong
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2014]
Close-up frontal portrait of a Pied Currawong
[Oxley Wild Rivers NP,
NSW, August 2015]
Frontal view of a Pied Currawong looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Near-frontal view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Near-frontal view of a Pied Currawong
[Eulah Creek, NSW, May 2011]
Near-frontal view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Near-frontal view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Near-frontal/ventral view of a Pied Currawong looking sideways
[Warrumbungle NP,
NSW, April 2006]
Close-up near-lateral portrait of a Pied Currawong
[Oxley Wild Rivers NP,
NSW, August 2015]
Near-lateral view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Close-up lateral portrait of a Pied Currawong
[Oxley Wild Rivers NP,
NSW, August 2015]
Lateral portrait of a Pied Currawong
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2014]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong on our lawn
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2014]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong; note the strong, slightly
hooked bill and the upright stance while looking for prey in
grass
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong
[Eulah Creek, NSW, June 2007]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong letting its wings droop in anticipation
of an attack by an
Australian Magpie
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2011]
Near-dorsal view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Near-dorsal view of a Pied Currawong looking over its shoulder
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
Near-dorsal view of a nosy Pied Currawong seen at an
altitude of 1500 m
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, August 2007]
Dorsal view of a nosy Pied Currawong
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2017]
Pied Currawong in flight, with its wings stretched, thereby displaying
the characteristic underwing pattern
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2013]
Pied Currawong in gliding flight
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IMMATURE/JUVENILE |
Ventral view of a juvenile Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, December 2013]
Juvenile Pied Currawongs waiting to be fed by their parents
(photo courtesy of A. Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, December 2013]
Deformed bill
A Pied Currawong came to our place with a mis-shaped upper mandible. The damage was reminiscent of that done to the bills of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos suffering from PBFD (psittacine beak and feather disease).
Frontal view of a Pied Currawong with a deformed bill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong with a deformed bill
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]
Race "ashbyi"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Near-lateral view of a Pied Currawong
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Port Fairy, VIC, April 2022]
Race "crissalis"
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ADULT |
Sex unknown |
Lateral view of an adult Pied Currawong (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lord Howe Island, November 2014]
Lateral view of a Pied Currawong in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Lord Howe Island, November 2014]
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Breeding information |
| Breeding season: Sep - Nov | Eggs: 2 - 4 | Incubation period: 21 days | Fledging age: 30? days |
Being nestrobbers, Pied Currawongs nest a bit later than other species that they prey upon to ensure the availability of food for their brood.
Pied Currawongs also have their own nests robbed occasionally, e.g. by Channel-billed Cuckoos.
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
| Type: Basket | Material: Sticks, with grass and/or other lining | Height above ground: 5 - 25 m |
Pied Currawong nest dislodged by a storn; here one can see clearly
the lining material, which looks like grass or rootlets (photo courtesy
of V. Bowe)
[Cremorne, NSW, October 2012]
Pied Currawong building a nest (photo courtesy of V. Bowe)
[Cremorne, NSW, August 2012]
Pied Currawong on its nest (photo courtesy of V. Bowe)
[Cremorne, NSW, September 2012]
Pied Currawong on its nest
[Dandry Gorge AA,
NSW, October 2013]
Pied Currawong feeding one of the hatchlings in its nest (photo courtesy
of V. Bowe)
[Cremorne, NSW, September 2012]
Pied Currawong bringing food to one of its chicks - another bird's
chick
[Dandry Gorge AA,
NSW, October 2013]
Pied Currawong feeding one of its three chicks; note that the location
of this nest is unusual, in the North-West Plains, about 40 km away
from the Great Dividing Range
[Yarrie Lake, near Wee Waa, NSW, October 2011]
Pied Currawong with hatchlings in its nest - in this case the adult bird
is bringing nesting material, not food (photo courtesy of V. Bowe)
[Cremorne, NSW, September 2012]
Pied Currawong feeding its young chicks
(photo courtesy of Y. Adams)
[Canberra, ACT, October 2017]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
| Size: 41 x 30 mm | Colour: Grey-brown, with darker grey-brown speckles | Shape: Tapered oval |
Pied Currawong hatchlings begging - of four eggs three hatched
(photo courtesy of Y. Adams)
[Canberra, ACT, October 2017]
Two Pied Currawong hatchlings, with a third egg yet to hatch
(photo courtesy of Y. Adams)
[Canberra, ACT, October 2017]
Pied Currawong nest with a full complement of four eggs
(photo courtesy of Y. Adams)
[Canberra, ACT, October 2017]
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Behaviour |
| Social behaviour: Communal | Mobility: Seasonally vagrant | Elementary unit: Small flock |
Similar to Australian Magpies, Pied Currawongs are winter guests at our place, because chased away by Willie Wagtails during the breeding season.
Whole flocks sometimes "raid" an area in large numbers, terrorising everything on their menu list, before moving on.
After staying at our place 20 km east of Narrabri through the winter of 2007, the about 20 resident birds dispersed in late winter (around late July), just before the start of the breeding season. In the winter of 2010 they were again last seen at our place in significant numbers in late July.
Below an example of a Pied Currawong taking a bath, something we see only rarely.
Pied Currawong dipping into the water of our mini-pond
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
Rather than immersing itself, it splashed water by
whipping its head sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
Next it shook off the water before retiring to a perch
for a good preening session
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2011]
These two Pied Currawongs are going about it much more seriously
[Eulah Creek, NSW, August 2011]
Dazed Pied Currawong trying to fend off a Willie Wagtail
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Judged to be impalatable, this Pied Currawong was allowed to live
(and rob another nest)...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, September 2013]
Pied Currawong looking sideways, exhibiting the wickedly hooked bill
- something no small animal will like to see (photo courtesy of A.
Ross-Taylor)
[Highland Park, Gold Coast, QLD, January 2013]
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Food, Diet |
Like all members of the Strepera family, Pied Currawongs are carnivores. They take animals from the size of large ants up to small birds or small lizards. As the most prolific nest robbers on the Australian continent they are feared by other bird species.
Near-lateral view of a Pied Currawong with its prey, a flying insect
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Near-lateral view of a Pied Currawong with its prey, a flying insect
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Anstead Reserve, Anstead, QLD, October 2021]
Pied Currawong with another bird's chick in its bill
[Dandry Gorge AA,
NSW, October 2013]
Here the nest hollow from which the Pied Currawong took the chick
[Dandry Gorge AA,
NSW, October 2013]
However, they have a very varied diet. They also feed on nuts and fruit, for example the seeds of White Cedars, olives and even grapes. They are known to regurgitate olives and White Cedar seeds into water, probably for softening them up. Given a chance, they will also scavenge dry catfood and sheep pellets.
This Pied Currawong has caught a small frog
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2012]
Photographic evidence showing that Pied Currawongs know how
to kill frogs before devouring them
[Eulah Creek, NSW, March 2012]
This Pied Currawong has caught a locust (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Oxley Common, Brisbane, QLD, August 2017]
When times are lean, even birds as big as Pied Currawongs resort to
taking small prey, such as this psyllid with lerp
[Eulah Creek, NSW, July 2012]
Evidence of a Pied Currawong's varied diet - this bird is taking
nectar from a Grevillea
robusta tree
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Pied Currawong on the prowl in
grassland...
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]
Pied Currawongs also know how to catch a mouse
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2021]
Gotcha! Pied Currawong that has caught an insect
[Eulah Creek, NSW, April 2013]
This Pied Currawong is scavenging a piece of bread (photo courtesy
of C. Hayne)
Pied Currawong drinking from a water bowl
[Warrumbungle NP,
NSW]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement 
are welcome.
Although always distinctive, the calls of Pied Currawongs have regional variations. Differences are noticeable over distances as short as tens of km.
| curry_20170530.m4a |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Contact calls from highest perch | © MD | |
| curry_20210502.m4a |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Contact calls (arrival) | © MD | |
| curry_20180131.m4a |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Contact call (distant) | © MD | |
| curry_art_20131113.m4a |
graculina (Gold Coast, QLD) |
Contact calls | © ART | |
| curry_20150821.m4a |
graculina (Dorrigo NP, NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD | |
| curry_20170831.m4a |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Raiding call(?) | © MD | |
| curry_20210430.m4a |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Raiding calls(?), Q&A | © MD | |
| curry_20170831_2.m4a |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Raiding calls(?), Q&A | © MD | |
| curry_20220821.mp3 |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Raiding calls(?), Q&A (+ Magpie-lark) |
© MD | |
| curry_20220822.mp3 |
graculina (Narrabri, NSW) |
Raiding calls(?), Q&A (large mob) |
© MD | |
| curry_me_20211024.m4a |
graculina (Anstead, QLD) |
Raiding calls(?), mob | © ME | |
| curry_20160311_3.m4a |
graculina (Bunya Mts NP, QLD) |
Raiding calls(?); mob (with Torresian Crows) |
© MD | |
| curry_20180105.m4a |
graculina (Wee Waa, NSW) |
Annoyed (by Willie Wagtail) | © MD | |
| curry_me_20211121.m4a |
graculina (Moggill, QLD) |
Various | © ME | |
| curry_20171022.m4a |
graculina (Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW) |
Various | © MD | |
| curry_20181215.m4a |
graculina (Pilliga scrub, NSW) |
Begging calls (juvenile) | © MD |
Click here for more recordings
More Pied Currawong sound recordings are available at
xeno-canto.org
.