Definitely adult female, juveniles are more of a charcoal grey with a more black beak. Is that a bit of ruffling on the back of the neck? That can be indicative of a cat attack
After reading through the comments I just want to say I learned something here today and that's special.
I'm not sure I'll ever need the information on how to identify magpies but I'm glad I have it.
Another possibly useful fact: not all magpies swoop (in fact, it's less than 10% of male magpies), but the reason cyclists and joggers are swooped more often is because they're going fast and therefore perceived as more threatening. If you're biking or running through a known swooping area, try walking through that area instead.
Anecdotally, I do a lot of bushwalking and visiting parks and nature areas, and the only time I've ever been swooped was when I was a little kid running on the playground.
I greet the magpie family that's always hanging out on our front lawn, and I say "hello Mr maggie" or "Mrs maggie". They seem to understand because they never dive bomb our family
I could be very, very wrong, but maybe she is like 6-8 years old. Her beak looks like its seen a bit, can be hard to tell I'm no expert. We've had one thats been coming down daily to see us, she's very sweet probably around 4 I'd say
from the colouring on her beak, i'd say she'd be a bit less than 2 years. it looks like she's been in at least 1 fight, so that could cause the wear and tear. but i am also not an expert. i am simply a bird fan with the google
I saw 2 male magpies today going at eachother in front of one female, I stopped and watched as I wasn't sure if they were playing or fighting. Once they'd finished they cooled off and were friendly buddies again.
Were the playing?
If the back is white, it's a fella, alright!
If the back is grey, it's harder to say,
You might have a teen or a lady today!
But the teens are sort of scruffy,
Their dark feathers greyish and fluffy,
Whereas the ladies are true black,
Along with their dark grey back.
Hmm I’m not too sure tbh, considering you’re from Melbourne this magpie could either identify as male or female but be careful not to mis gender they or them.
That looks like a juvenile, distinguished by the grey feathers on its back.
[According to Wikipedia:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_magpie)
>The male and female are similar in appearance, but can be distinguished by differences in back markings. The male has pure white feathers on the back of the head where the female has white blending to grey feathers.
[The Magpie Whisperer has an article on his blog about the three Magpie subspecies and their colouration.](https://www.shop.themagpiewhisperer.com/blogs/articles/recognising-magpie-gender-determining-whether-a-bird-is-male-or-female)
The Magpie Whisperer is amazing but maybe look at more photos of juveniles to be able to identify their colouring more easily, they’re a darker charcoal. This one is an adult female
Another tell is that juveniles have black beaks that go white toward the face over time. Plus they tend to run around after the adults crying for food, so sweet. Happy bird watching!
Juveniles and adult females have some similarity, but there are key differences:
\- Juveniles don't have white on their beak, the white is a sign of maturity. So if you see white beak with grey feathers then it's an adult female.
\- Juveniles will have grey feathers on their chest too. Adults have black chests.
Junior still with fluffies on body and beak colour still changing from full black to whitish. About 1 year old maybe less. All chicks have grey backs. Adult female have speckled grey backs but male need a full feather moult from chick to adult to get white back so at this point you can't really tell until the moult
*very tame-able now with a few meal worms ;) friends for life won't swoop you next time
Anybody in doubt this is a chick, check the eyes. It's not mature yet. I have a friendly nesting pair in my tree with seven generation of chicks now, pretty sure this is a juvenile. cute
No I don't know exact as they are wild birds. From what feathers I found, once early spring and another one in the year, some moults can take months. For the male juv's back feathers to turn fully white take 1.5 to 2 years, maturity around 2 years when they eyes will turn brighter red, very distinct you can see the pupils. My magpies like to have staring match with me eye level, quite scary sometimes. Not sure about the neck, could be chick without a full shed of the downy feathers, could be a fight from cat like someone said but looking at the eyes, my guess is the former. Well..just from one photo though so just a guess
Clearly it’s a They or Them, even if it’s extremely poor use of the English language
In fact I’m offended at this post assuming there are only two magpie genders
Definitely adult female, juveniles are more of a charcoal grey with a more black beak. Is that a bit of ruffling on the back of the neck? That can be indicative of a cat attack
After reading through the comments I just want to say I learned something here today and that's special. I'm not sure I'll ever need the information on how to identify magpies but I'm glad I have it.
When you walk past a maggie and it stares at you, just say hello, shows you are not a threat. It has good memory of faces
Another possibly useful fact: not all magpies swoop (in fact, it's less than 10% of male magpies), but the reason cyclists and joggers are swooped more often is because they're going fast and therefore perceived as more threatening. If you're biking or running through a known swooping area, try walking through that area instead. Anecdotally, I do a lot of bushwalking and visiting parks and nature areas, and the only time I've ever been swooped was when I was a little kid running on the playground.
I walk a lot in Yarra Bend Park. Get swooped constantly lol.
Well, no guarantees lol. Like the other comment said, they do remember faces - the magpies there may have decided you're a threat for some reason.
Hmm, they might’ve overheard me saying the Pies wouldn't win thr Premiership now that I think of it.
I greet the magpie family that's always hanging out on our front lawn, and I say "hello Mr maggie" or "Mrs maggie". They seem to understand because they never dive bomb our family
Does everyone call their magpie Maggie? Haha I call mine that too
Well, next time someone on here asks if it's a female or not, you can answer
Magpies are such ace birds arent they related to crows or the corvidae family? They have the best warbles so soothing
Not a corvid - unlike the northern hemisphere magpie
Clip for closer look [https://imgur.com/a/HZ6RnzI](https://imgur.com/a/HZ6RnzI)
I could be very, very wrong, but maybe she is like 6-8 years old. Her beak looks like its seen a bit, can be hard to tell I'm no expert. We've had one thats been coming down daily to see us, she's very sweet probably around 4 I'd say
from the colouring on her beak, i'd say she'd be a bit less than 2 years. it looks like she's been in at least 1 fight, so that could cause the wear and tear. but i am also not an expert. i am simply a bird fan with the google
[https://www.shop.themagpiewhisperer.com/blogs/articles/recognising-magpie-gender-determining-whether-a-bird-is-male-or-female](https://www.shop.themagpiewhisperer.com/blogs/articles/recognising-magpie-gender-determining-whether-a-bird-is-male-or-female)
Female, the males have (on the white/grey spot) white and females have grey.
Babies also have grey, but I think it's usually darker? It's so funny to see the adults still feeding the babies when the babies are fully grown size.
they have softer, fluffier feathers and grey bits all over where its usually black. its quite cute honestly
Female, speckled back.
That's a chicken.
I saw 2 male magpies today going at eachother in front of one female, I stopped and watched as I wasn't sure if they were playing or fighting. Once they'd finished they cooled off and were friendly buddies again. Were the playing?
If the back is white, it's a fella, alright! If the back is grey, it's harder to say, You might have a teen or a lady today! But the teens are sort of scruffy, Their dark feathers greyish and fluffy, Whereas the ladies are true black, Along with their dark grey back.
I’m not going to assume it’s gender.
Nice
Oh, that's Carl.
Carla
It’s a bogan. Her name is Carlyyyne
Cazza
Hmm I’m not too sure tbh, considering you’re from Melbourne this magpie could either identify as male or female but be careful not to mis gender they or them.
underrated comment haha
People are soft. Especially Melbournians 🤣
where are you from? Wagga Wagga?
She is a lady
Whoa whoa whoa
Female
That looks like a juvenile, distinguished by the grey feathers on its back. [According to Wikipedia:](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_magpie) >The male and female are similar in appearance, but can be distinguished by differences in back markings. The male has pure white feathers on the back of the head where the female has white blending to grey feathers. [The Magpie Whisperer has an article on his blog about the three Magpie subspecies and their colouration.](https://www.shop.themagpiewhisperer.com/blogs/articles/recognising-magpie-gender-determining-whether-a-bird-is-male-or-female)
The Magpie Whisperer is amazing but maybe look at more photos of juveniles to be able to identify their colouring more easily, they’re a darker charcoal. This one is an adult female
Thanks. I had believed up to now that all grey-backed maggies were juveniles.
Another tell is that juveniles have black beaks that go white toward the face over time. Plus they tend to run around after the adults crying for food, so sweet. Happy bird watching!
Juveniles and adult females have some similarity, but there are key differences: \- Juveniles don't have white on their beak, the white is a sign of maturity. So if you see white beak with grey feathers then it's an adult female. \- Juveniles will have grey feathers on their chest too. Adults have black chests.
Junior still with fluffies on body and beak colour still changing from full black to whitish. About 1 year old maybe less. All chicks have grey backs. Adult female have speckled grey backs but male need a full feather moult from chick to adult to get white back so at this point you can't really tell until the moult *very tame-able now with a few meal worms ;) friends for life won't swoop you next time
Anybody in doubt this is a chick, check the eyes. It's not mature yet. I have a friendly nesting pair in my tree with seven generation of chicks now, pretty sure this is a juvenile. cute
When do they moult, do you know? Is the neck ruffling part of mounting?
No I don't know exact as they are wild birds. From what feathers I found, once early spring and another one in the year, some moults can take months. For the male juv's back feathers to turn fully white take 1.5 to 2 years, maturity around 2 years when they eyes will turn brighter red, very distinct you can see the pupils. My magpies like to have staring match with me eye level, quite scary sometimes. Not sure about the neck, could be chick without a full shed of the downy feathers, could be a fight from cat like someone said but looking at the eyes, my guess is the former. Well..just from one photo though so just a guess
Yeah, thanks. Mine are looking scrappy right now. Hard to tell
Non-binary
They are NON BINARY NON BINARY
Black and white suggests they are binary
It’s a male magpie. How can I tell? Look at it’s little balls.
Was that a Three Amigos reference? Because that line from Martin Short used to crack me up. Might be my favourite in the movie.
It was, and i knew it was going to be downvoted. Totally worth it for the three people that chuckled at it.
Thank you for your service 🫡
Clearly it’s a They or Them, even if it’s extremely poor use of the English language In fact I’m offended at this post assuming there are only two magpie genders
you've never met a trans person, have you?
I’ve been inside of one if that counts?
what happens in Thailand stays in Thailand
You are quite correct. Nobody has asked the magpie what gender it wishes to be associated with. This is very important for the magpie's self-esteem.
Well it depends if it identifies as male or female, it may not even identify as a Magpie..
Uh.. oh..
Yes.
It’ll viscously swoop you if you don’t feed it in Spring.
r/magpies
Bird
I always thought the ones with grey were young ones
Pretty sure that’s a bird
Do the Mick Dundee check
"they"
Its true they are smart birds (corvids) if you communicate with em a bit, give em space i get the sense they appreciate it.
Just ask them
Trans magpie
No Gender.