BELL-MAGPIE

Australasian songbird belonging to the family Cracticidae (order Passeriformes), named for its loud, metallic voice and magpie-like black-and-white plumage. Most authorities consider the bell-magpies to represent a single widespread species, Gymnorhina tibicen; some recognize three species, the white-backed (G. hypoleuca), the western (G. dorsalis), and the black-backed (G. tibicen). Bell-magpies are 35-50 cm (14-20 inches) long and (unlike the true magpies) rather short-tailed. They feed on lizards, snakes, and large insects in open country. All are aggressive, especially during the breeding season, attacking larger birds and even humans. In rural areas the open nest may include large amounts of wire, as well as grass and sticks.