AUSTRALIAN FAUNA Ornithology Aviculture ix, 270 pages : illustrations, maps, coloured photographs. 2nd edition. 201024

The Australian magpie is one of our nation’s most popular and iconic birds. It is loved for its impressive vocal abilities, propensity to play, excellent parenting and willingness to form enduring friendships with people.

Written by award-winning author Gisela Kaplan, a leading authority on animal behaviour and Australian birds, this second edition of Australian Magpie is a thoroughly updated and substantially expanded account of the behaviour of these birds. With new chapters on classification, cognition and caring for young, it reveals the extraordinary capabilities of the magpie, including its complex social behaviour. The author, who has devoted more than 20 years to studying and interacting with magpies, brings together the latest research on the magpie’s biology and behaviour, along with information on the origin of magpies, their development and health not published previously.

This fascinating book has a wide appeal to bird lovers, amateur ornithologists and naturalists, as well as those with a scientific or professional interest in avian behaviour and ecology and those interested in the importance of native birds to the environment.

The warbling and carolling of the Australian magpie are iconic, yet few of us recognise that the magpie ranks among the foremost songbirds of the world. Its impressive vocal abilities, its propensity to play and clown, and its willingness to interact with people make the magpie one of our most popular birds. Written by award-winning author Gisela Kaplan, one of Australia’s leading authorities on animal behaviour and native birds, this second edition presents a fully updated and easy-to-read account of the behaviour of these birds. With new chapters on classification, cognition and caring for young, it reveals the extraordinary capabilities of the magpie, including its complex social behaviour. The author brings together much of what we know about the magpie’s biology and behaviour, including her latest research on magpie vocalisation, as well as aspects of anatomy, physiology, development and health not published previously. This fascinating book has a wide appeal to bird lovers, amateur ornithologists and naturalists, as well as those with a scientific or professional interest in native birds, their communication, emotions and skills.

• Ch. 1. Origins
• Ch. 2. Which is the ‘real’ magpie?
• Ch. 3. Anatomy – Ch.4. The brain and the senses
• Ch. 5. Diet and cognition in foraging
• Ch. 6. Managing a territory
• Ch. 7. Bonding and breeding
• Ch. 8. Caring for the young
• Ch. 9. Social rules and daily life
• Ch. 10. Song production and vocal development
• Ch. 11. Communication
• Ch. 12. Magpies and humans
• Epilogue: the success of magpies.
• Wildlife: general interest
• Birds — Australia
• Magpies — Behaviour
• Birds — Vocalization — Australia
• Magpies — Australia