Pied Currawongs are known for their distinctive, loud and ringing calls which can be far-reaching throughout their territories.
The main call is a loud “currawong”, which gives the bird its name. Other frequent sounds include deep croaks and a wolf whistle. Bird call recorded by: Fred Van Gessel
The Pied Currawong is a large, mostly black bird, with a bright yellow eye. Small patches of white are confined to the under tail, the tips and bases of the tail feathers and a small patch towards the tip of each wing (visible in flight). The bill is large and black and the legs are dark grey-black. Both sexes are similar, although the female may sometimes be greyer on the underparts. Young Pied Currawongs are duller and browner than the adults.
Pied Currawongs are found throughout eastern Australia, from northern Queensland to Victoria, but is absent from Tasmania.
Habitat: Forest, Woodland, Urban
The Pied Currawong prefers forests and woodlands, and has become well adapted to suburban areas. Throughout its range it is common and familiar.
Pied Currawongs have adapted well to living in urban areas and their growing numbers have been implicated in the fall in numbers of the smaller bird species.
Pied Currawongs feed on a variety of foods including small lizards, insects, caterpillars and berries. They also take a large number of small and young birds, especially around urban areas where suitable cover is scarce. Larger prey, up to the size of a young possum, is also taken, and birds will occasionally hunt as a group. Prey may be stored in a ‘larder’ (hung on a hook or in a tree fork or crevice) and either eaten straight away or, in the case of larger prey, over a period of time.
The Pied Currawong’s nest is a bowl of sticks, lined with grasses and other soft material. The material is gathered by both sexes, but the female builds the nest, which is placed in a high tree fork, up to 20m above the ground. The female incubates the eggs, and the male feeds her. The male also supplies food to the female for the first week after the chicks hatch and she feeds the chicks.
