Hi Vicki,
I have not been aware of magpies mimicking other birds, but if they were
good at it, I probably wouldn't have noticed!
They have a shriek sound when diving to attack a threatening bird, or
person. The juveniles - who often look bigger than their parents - emit
a plaintive "begging" cry.
My non-expert impression is that their main daytime singing, which is
extraordinarily varied, sometimes but not always involves multiple
birds. They can also do a softer version of this, for a few seconds,
apparently just to themselves, or to whoever is parsing by a few metres
away. This frequently happens when they are on the ground. My wife
Tina and I particularly enjoy this, since it is not out of the question
that they are talking to us. I often respond, or sometimes try to
initiate a conversation, with my best wildly but softly articulated
"Quardle-oodle-ardle-wardle-doodle". However it seems that something
more than phrasebook Magpie is needed for them to really converse. It
would probably help if I could tell them something they didn't already
know about the the local worms, nymphs and crickets.
This softer "talking" mode - only loud enough to be heard nearby - is
not mentioned on the Wikipedia page. I will pack the D-50 when walking
in the hope of recording this. Looking now at the literature mentioned
below, I guess this is referred to as "warbling" rather than "carolling".
We just ordered "Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual
Songbird" Gisela Kaplan (2004) http://www.publish.csiro.au/pid/3880.htm
. The author's PhD thesis (2005
http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:107254) is not freely
available. The abstract mentions ". . . magpies are improvisers and
have many vocalisations that are never repeated in quite the same way
while other calls, such as specific alarm calls, mobbing, calls and food
calls, are stereotyped. " Gisela Kaplan's site:
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gisela_Kaplan/publications has a
number of more recent papers on Magpie song which are freely available.
Also of interest: http://escholarship.org/uc/item/356357r0 and
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Susan_Farabaugh2/publications
Robin
On 2016-09-18 8:46 AM, vickipowys
[naturerecordists] wrote:
> That's interesting Robin, thanks, I have never recorded those pre-dawn
> warbling songs so it was good to hear them.
>
> So the Aussie Magpie has 1. pre-dawn and dusk melodious warbling, with
> individual variation. And 2. the daytime call is louder carolling
> often with 2 or more birds joining in.
>
> Plus an occasional bit of mimicry as well!
>
> Vicki
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