Currawongs | ||||||||||
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Pied Currawong. | ||||||||||
Scientific classification | ||||||||||
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Genus | ||||||||||
Strepera |
The true currawongs are a little larger than the Australian Magpie, somewhat smaller than most ravens, but broadly similar in appearance. They are not as terrestrial as the Magpie and have shorter legs. They are omnivorous, foraging in foliage, on tree trunks and limbs, and on the ground, taking insects and larvae (often dug out from under the bark of trees), fruit, and the nestlings of other birds.
It is sometimes said, with at least some justice, that the home gardener can have either currawongs or small birds, but not both—although part of this perception can be traced to the failure of many gardeners to provide a sufficent number of dense, thorny shrubs as refuges.
All three currawongs are from the south or east of Australia.
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Currawongs are not loved by fruit growers. This Grey Currawong has been feasting on apples and become trapped in a net. |
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Unlike many birds, the currawongs have suffered little from European occupation of the land: although they are seldom seen in the vast artificial grasslands Europeans have replaced much natural woodland and forest with, scattered patches of remaining bush appear to be sufficient for their needs, and the provision of irrigated waypoints along their rambling migration routes has encouraged them to take up residence in areas where they previously only overflew. The effect of this on smaller birds that are vulnerable to nest predation is controversial: several studies have suggested that Pied Currawongs have become a serious problem, but the truth of this widely held perception remains to be established.
Currawongs belong to the subfamily Cracticinae, which also includes the Australian Magpie and the butcherbirds: about 20 species in all. Together with the woodswallows (subfamily Artaminae), they make up the family Artamidae, which, in turn, is allied to the crows and jays, fantails, drongos, and many others.