The Australian Magpie is renowned for its glorious carolling songs. An Australian specialist ground feeder, which can hear even the faint sounds of a worm slithering centimetres under the ground's surface, it is a highly intelligent, very social bird that maintains its territory 365 days a year, not just during the breeding season. Its complex and sophisticated vocalisations are a key aspect of that territoriality. Many in Australia consider the Magpie their favourite bird but not unanimously. Its breeding season attacks on pedestrians and cyclists have cruelled its reputation with the victims and their family and friends. The Australian Butcher Birds are part of the Magpies' broader family and they certainly have the virtuosic vocal dexterity and musical inventiveness of their cousins, the Magpies. VODCAST:Professor Daryl Jones discusses the Australian Magpie with a focus on how to manage its breeding season attacks.https://youtu.be/vr800IR8jXc Jones' book: Magpie Alert: Learning to Live with a Wild Neighbour* UNSW Press, 2002 is out of print but obtainable in libraries and second hand.An article from August 2013 by Professor Daryl Jones about "surviving Magpie season:https://theconversation.com/from-cable-ties-to-losing-eyes-how-to-survive-magpie-season-17579The Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbirdby Gisela KaplanThis book, now in its 2nd edition has received mixed appraisals by various reviewers. It is the only book on the market that offers a comprehensive look at teh Australian Magpie.*https://www.booktopia.com.au/australian-magpie-2nd-edition-gisela-kaplan/book/9781486307241.html