Once the eggs hatch the young remain in the nest for about 4 weeks whilst being fed by the mother. During this time the nest is defended by the male. The family group will help protect and educate the young with the father teaching them foraging skills.
The new dads did not take their responsibility lightly and often care for the chicks better than their biological father. "What was truly astounding, he (the new father) would feed them at a higher rate than the real dad," Professor Jones said.
feeding the young – once hatched, the young are fed in the nest for about 4 weeks.
Baby magpies eat what their parents feed them. They are often fed worms and insects. The male magpie defends the nest while the female is responsible for feeding the babies. Baby magpies stay for 24 to 30 days in the nest before moving out.
Males are typically larger than females and have longer beaks, while females are usually smaller with shorter beaks. The physical traits that allow for identification of the gender of adult White-backed magpies are located on their napes and mantles which are key areas to observe in the White-backed magpie.
Interesting fact: It's true, magpies remember your face. They have excellent recall for faces and very long memories. So, if you've been swooped before, or even if you just look like someone they swooped last year, you're likely to get the same treatment again.
In the wild, magpies roost in dense thickets where visibility is reduced and darkness deep.
Baby magpies leave the nest before their tail feathers have grown. They live on the ground and are fed and protected (often by swooping) by the parents during the day and are hidden in undergrowth overnight. Members of the public sometimes confuse this act of nature with magpie babies being deserted or in distress.
Magpies live in territorial groups. At the top of the social structure is the permanent territorial group, large enough to defend its territory without depleting resources.
A key reason why friendships with magpies are possible is that we now know that magpies are able to recognise and remember individual human faces for many years. They can learn which nearby humans do not constitute a risk. They will remember someone who was good to them; equally, they remember negative encounters.
Although baby birds do not drink, in our artificial situation, and when the weather is very hot, you may need to offer the chicks fluid. On arrival my chicks usually have their food dipped in full cream natural yogurt – warmed – a few times, then food is dipped either in the Wombaroo First Aid for Birds or plain water.
Unless the bird is injured, it is best to leave magpie baby birds well alone, as its parents are usually close by. Young magpies that are reared by their parents have a better chance of surviving and establishing their own territories than those which are “rescued” and then have to be raised by a wildlife carer.
If babies are overfed at this stage, they may not become hungry enough to want other food, and in some cases, the baby will try to resist food only to have formula forced upon him. Such a struggle can end disastrously, with the baby inhaling his food, leading to pneumonia – or even asphyxiation.
Magpies sing to reinforce their claim on their territory, mostly at dawn and dusk. Image: Michelle Hall. But while we are all familiar with the magpie's melodious carolling, we are perhaps less familiar with their other calls. Magpies use many different calls, including grunting noises, to communicate.
Raw meat, cheese and bread off the menu
Brisbane bird and exotic animal vet Deborah Monks said raw meat and mince, although popular, did the most damage to magpie health. "I wouldn't recommend raw mince on its own because it doesn't have enough calcium in it," she said.
Nevertheless, Magpies usually build a new nest each season even when well preserved old nests are available (Goodwin 1976), which is generally thought to represent an anti- predator strategy (Tatner 1982a).
The months following fledging are a dangerous time for young magpies, with a high percentage failing to make it through the first year. If the young birds survive to breed, their average life expectancy is around three years. Some live much longer than this, with the oldest recorded being more than 21 years old.
Magpies will often mate for life. However, if a male is killed while the young are in the nest, the female will take a new partner. He'll help protect the young even though he's not genetically related to them.
Magpies are 'like dogs'
"They will form very long friendships, like dogs," she said. "They will introduce their young [to you] and they will be the most charming birds. "Even during the breeding season you can come close to them because they know you'll do no harm."
Hatchling/nestling magpies
Feed every 30 minutes from 7.00am - 9.00pm.
The diet of a magpie
Their main diet in summer is grassland invertebrates, such as beetles, flies, caterpillars, spiders, worms and leatherjackets. In winter, they eat more plant material, such as wild fruits, berries and grains, with household scraps and food scavenged from bird tables or chicken runs, pet foods etc.
Don't remove/destroy nests – magpies may re-nest which then extends the breeding (and swooping) season.
The common magpie is one of the most intelligent birds—and one of the most intelligent animals to exist. Their brain-to-body-mass ratio is outmatched only by that of humans and equals that of aquatic mammals and great apes.
Although magpies will peck around in the soil looking for insects, the main garden damage is done to the lawn where they create holes while looking for grubs, such as leatherjackets and chafer grubs. That being said, magpies are a useful control for these two root-eating plant pests.
They mate for life
These extremely loyal birds are with their partners until death do they part. On the off chance the male magpie passes away before the female, the female will take on another male partner who will help her raise and protect her young.