Magpie-Lark behaviour

[Judithla <>]

PS: However, I now have no recollection if the Wader idea was, at that time, an old possibility just being debunked, or a new idea just being floated … (& The bird still looks unusual in appearance & behaviour.) It would be interesting to see its taxonomic history since 1770. 
J

On Thursday, 2 May 2019, Judithla <> wrote:

No, Philip, it was enough years ago that the unique Magpie-lark could still have held evolutionary mysteries. A couple of decades have now passed, & though I studied there for a long time, I graduated through to a broader Masters, so continuity cannot be expected for ever &/ beyond subject boundaries. (& Sadly, once you leave academia, access to the latest literature is severely limited still.) The Ornithology studies there are challenging, exciting, & mostly unmatched in Australia. Try a subject or two!

Cheers

Judith 

On Thursday, 2 May 2019, Philip Veerman <m("pcug.org.au","pveerman");" target="_blank">> wrote:

I don’t know what Graeme wrote to you but I assume something similar.

 

I would have hoped that Ornithology studies at CSU would quickly properly explain that thought process you mention. Because it is hardly a difficult concept. It is concerning that - at least to you, you report that this was not clarified! Does not bode well for the course. The issue of now confirming the flycatcher history surely is now well established but I don’t have the references to hand.

 

Ah yes the actual behaviour of one species (Magpie-lark) that it will often feed on insects or other small creatures on mudflats is just the lifestyle of that species. It also gives an obvious source of nesting material (mud) for the species. It has no connection to that waders also feed on similar food in similar habitats. Sharks and dolphins look similar and live in the same environment and eat the same things. Their similarity is because of that but their history is very different.

 

Philip

 

From: Judithla [
Sent: Thursday, 2 May, 2019 11:39 AM
To: Philip Veerman; Graeme Chapman
Cc: birding-aus (E-mail)
Subject: Re: Magpie-Lark behaviour

 

Thanks, Philip & Graeme. Many years ago when I was early in my Ornithology studies at CSU, the uncertainty around Magpie-lark origins was still there, & a “wader” theory was mentioned (depicting the bird striding the mud-edges of Australia’s inland waterbodies, now taxonomically solitary) … which I’ve found puzzling/amazing ever since. So thanks for clearing all that up! (Are there phylo/genetics now confirming the flycatcher history? Closest relative/s?)

 

For a mud-nester, fur would be a boon; & for a flycatcher, the ticks, etc., infesting roos, wallabies, etc, would be easy pickings. Certainly the roo in the footage looked relaxed. 

 

Cheers

Judith 

SEQ 500m

On Thursday, 2 May 2019, Philip Veerman <> wrote:

Now that is a funny one. The Magpie-lark is derived from flycatchers. It is not a magpie or a lark. It could not possibly be derived from waders because, at the most immediate level, it is a passerine, which is a long way from being a wader. I suggest we probably don’t see this behaviour in urban Australia because (apart from Canberra where kangaroos are abundant) we don’t see kangaroos in urban Australia. The bird you saw was likely either obtaining insects (food) from the kangaroo, or plucking fur, for a lining to its nest. Many birds (I believe it is mainly honeyeaters noted for doing this) will pluck fur from living mammals for their nest but we don’t see that in waders in Australia largely because those birds don’t breed here (or most don’t). Or the question is and I have no idea whether waders do this behaviour at all, where they do breed.

 

Philip

 

From: Birding-Aus [mailto:m("birding-aus.org","birding-aus-bounces");" target="_blank">rding-aus.org] On Behalf Of Judithla
Sent: Thursday, 2 May, 2019 2:24 AM
To: birding-aus (E-mail)
Subject: [Birding-Aus] Magpie-Lark behaviour

 

For just a few moments, watching the Kimberley dvd “Outback”, I saw a Magpie-Lark land on a kangaroo’s back, take a few steps, then tilt to peck in the fur. 

 

Is there still a question about the evolution / phylogenetics of this species? Weren’t they thought to have possibly derived from waders? This is a behaviour we do not see in urban Australia. 

 

Judith

 

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JudithLA

 

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