Pied Currawong (also known as the Black-backed Crow or Bell-magpie)
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Passeriformes, Family: Artamidae, Genus: Strepera, Species: S. graculina
Family: Artamidae (Woodswallows, Butcherbirds, and Currawongs)
- Shape
- Asymmetrical vane with a distinctly narrow leading edge and broader trailing edge. The tip is slightly rounded to pointed, tapering gradually towards the calamus.
- Size
- Approximately 18 to 22 cm in length, consistent with the secondary or rectrix dimensions of a medium-sized passerine like a Pied Currawong.
- Rarity
- Very Common (frequently seen and heard throughout its native eastern Australian range).
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Description
This feather exhibits the iconic contrast of the Pied Currawong, a large, crow-like black bird featuring striking yellow eyes and white patches on its wings, rump, and tail tip. Renowned for its loud, melodious, ringing call, it is a highly adaptable and intelligent songbird native to eastern Australia.
Colour & Pattern
Bold contrast featuring a dark brownish-black to jet-black upper half and a crisp white lower shaft base and basal vane section. The tip also displays a subtle white patch typical of Pied Currawong retrices and remiges.
Barb Structure
The upper two-thirds consist of tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs forming a smooth surface, while the base transition shows loose, fluffy plumulaceous barbs near the superior umbilicus.
Texture & Surface
Smooth, firm, and slightly stiff across the pennaceous region with a semi-glossy finish. The basal area is soft, downy, and plumulaceous.
Key Features
Sharp color demarcation between the dark charcoal/black distal portion and the stark white basal section, along with a pale shaft and asymmetrical flight feather profile.
Habitat
Eucalypt forests, woodlands, rainforest edges, urban parks, suburbs, and gardens across eastern Australia.
Geographic Range
Eastern Australia, spanning from northern Queensland through New South Wales and Victoria to Lord Howe Island.
Ecological Role
Acts as an apex passerine predator and fruit seed disperser within woodland and urban ecosystems, controlling insect and small vertebrate populations.
Similar Species
Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) feathers, which feature broader white bases without the same soft gradient transition, and Pied Butcherbird (Cracticus nigrogularis) feathers, which are generally smaller.
Interesting Facts
Pied Currawongs have complex vocalizations including a distinctive 'curra-wong' call that gives them their name. They are opportunistic omnivores and play a significant role in seed dispersal across Australian woodlands.
Condition Notes
Fair condition; shows moderate wear along the trailing vane edges with slight separation of the barbs near the lower section, typical of a naturally molted feather.