Apparently in some obscure way Aussie magpies are not the same as EU magpies, but they're black and white and maligned here as well (they're infamous here for dive bombing people who get too close to their nesting site - although it's been proven that only about 10% dive bomb and only because humans have screwed with them at some point).
I think they're hilarious; they're bigger than Easter-cat, so I have to keep an eye out for her, but I never chase them away when they come to visit. :)
Ok, so I looked it up so I wouldn't get it wrong: Aussie magpies are *not* corvids at all (so the difference isn't actually all that obscure, lol). They're butcherbirds. But they look very similar. And they have a really cool bird song, which we get to hear all the time in our garden.
Easter-cat does not interact with them at all - they are truly bigger than she is and even though they aren't known for being aggressive with pets at all, it's disconcerting to see them close to her and know they could easily carry her off. She's not overly impressed with them, so it's a moot point as she doesn't stalk or chase them. Mostly she just hugs the dirt when they fly over, lol.
Neither Wasabi nor Carlito give them much of a second glance either; not sure why, except that they might be too distracted by the cheeky turtle doves that live to screw with their little kitty heads, by strutting up and down on the garden path just inches away.
I don't think we have magpies here in the southeastern US. (I believe the American magpie's range is mostly west of the Mississippi, and mostly further north.)
Apparently in some obscure way Aussie magpies are not the same as EU magpies, but they're black and white and maligned here as well (they're infamous here for dive bombing people who get too close to their nesting site - although it's been proven that only about 10% dive bomb and only because humans have screwed with them at some point).
I think they're hilarious; they're bigger than Easter-cat, so I have to keep an eye out for her, but I never chase them away when they come to visit. :)
Does Easter-cat interact with them? Do the other two?
Link to a (corvid!) blog about the differences: http://coyot.es/thecorvidblog/2016/03/07/australian-magpies-are-not-corvids/
Link to a quick youtube of their song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYEYc8Ge3nw
Neither Wasabi nor Carlito give them much of a second glance either; not sure why, except that they might be too distracted by the cheeky turtle doves that live to screw with their little kitty heads, by strutting up and down on the garden path just inches away.
If I was a cat and saw one of them dive-bombing towards me, I'd hug the dirt, too.