Piping up as a slight side issue to the Piping Shrike saga I have a mild interest in vernacular names of birds. I can find no reference in the literature to Piping-Shrike other than Wikipedia and other associated Google articles to do with the SA flag. However I can find references to Piping Crow-Shrike as a vernacular name for Black-backed Magpie. White-backed Magpie is listed as Piper, or White-backed Crow-Shrike. Other Crow-Shrikes are Pied (Pied Currawong), Sooty (Black Currawong), Black- winged, Grey, Brown & Leaden (Grey Currawong), , Hill (Clinking Currawong), Black-throated (Pied Butcherbird), Collared (Grey Butcherbird) . Cheers John
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hey Tony, just when I was about to stop reading all these posts on this Magpie thread, up came this one from you – pure GOLD indeed!!! a huge thanx for that one… by the way, speaking of pied birds…. if anyone is interested, the returning Pied Imperial-Pigeons arrived here in big numbers yesterday!! cheers, martin cachard, trinity beach, cairns
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Hi Doug, you need to try looking left over your right shoulder. Oh, I see, you mean it’s neck is screwed to the right so that it can look forwards with it’s left eye . OK, Tony. —–Original Message—– Doug Holly Sent: Monday, 17 August 2015 6:49 AM It is well documented that it is a White-backed Australian Magpie, Gymnorhina hypoleuca, and if you look at the perch going under the tail, it clearly shows that it is a rear view, with the bird looking to the left over it’s right “shoulder.” Thick beak and white back, clearly a White-backed Australian Magpie
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It’s intriguing that the origin of the design was never documented. A brief look at some heraldry sites didn’t find any discussion of whether a top view of a bird is allowable, but I didn’t find any examples of it, only undersides and silhouettes that could be either. That and the colour of the bill either discount magpie completely, or add support to the incompetent artist theory. Peter Shute Sent from my iPad
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Yes, it’s a confusing pile of vernacular names isn’t it and there , so far, appears to be no clear path between those names and the Piping Shrike emblem. It would appear that at some stage the authorities of the day decided to establish a state emblem – who they were and at what time this was is immaterial to the present discussion, the ever present question is and always has been just what bird the emblem was meant to represent. Because of large population of magpies it’s quite likely that this bird was considered a suitable icon for the state of SA . Whether someone used a commissioned artist to produce a stylised picture of the bird or had a stab at it themselves, either from a dead specimen or from memory, the result in today’s terms was not too accurate. The frontrunner suggestion has to be the Magpie with poor runners up being a Butcherbird or Magpie Lark but no-one has been able to give a definitive answer and I doubt they will. Interesting, but on the hand, does it really matter? Maybe we should change to the good old Pommie Sparrow, we have plenty of those. TIC. Tony. —–Original Message—– John Walter Sent: Saturday, 15 August 2015 8:01 PM Piping up as a slight side issue to the Piping Shrike saga I have a mild interest in vernacular names of birds. I can find no reference in the literature to Piping-Shrike other than Wikipedia and other associated Google articles to do with the SA flag. However I can find references to Piping Crow-Shrike as a vernacular name for Black-backed Magpie. White-backed Magpie is listed as Piper, or White-backed Crow-Shrike. Other Crow-Shrikes are Pied (Pied Currawong), Sooty (Black Currawong), Black- winged, Grey, Brown & Leaden (Grey Currawong), , Hill (Clinking Currawong), Black-throated (Pied Butcherbird), Collared (Grey Butcherbird) . Cheers John
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