Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg…
Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
Author unknown
Magpie Goose: Have you seen this bird?
Magpie-goose
The Magpie-goose, Anseranas semipalmata, is a waterbird species found in coastal northern Australia and savannah in southern New Guinea.
It is a unique member of the order Anseriformes, and arranged in a family and genus distinct from all other living waterfowl. It may merit recognition as a separate family in order Anseriformes on account of its primitive characteristics.
The magpie goose typically weighs 3 kg (6.5 pounds) and is 75–90 cm (30–35 inches) long. The sexes are alike in having a black-and-white body, long neck and legs. They have virtually unwebbed toes. Their long hooked bill and bare face give the bird the look of a vulture.
This bird’s feet are only partially webbed. Feet aside, the Magpie-goose will feed on vegetable matter in the water as well as on land. Males are larger than females.
The Magpie-goose is found in a variety of open wetland areas such as floodplains and swamps. It is fairly sedentary apart from some movement during the dry season.
Its nest is on the ground, and a typical clutch is 5-14 eggs.
This species is plentiful across its range. For Australia as a whole, it is not threatened and has a controlled hunting season when numbers are large.
Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
Graffiti at Bury St. Edmunds
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Whether a fellow winds up with a nest egg or a goose egg depends a heap on the kind of chick he married.
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A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted…
A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.
An African proverb
Dickcissel: Have you seen this bird?
Dickcissel
The Dickcissel, Spiza townsendi, is a small American seed-eating bird in the family Cardinalidae.
Their breeding habitat is fields in midwestern North America. They migrate in large flocks to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. They may occur as vagrants well outside of their normal range.
Identification Tips:
• Length: 5.75 inches
• Large, pale bill
• Rusty shoulder patch
Adult male:
• Gray crown, cheek and nape
• Yellow and white supercilium and malar streak
• White chin, black throat and yellow breast
• Grayish-white belly and undertail coverts
• Gray-brown back with black streaks
• Black wings with gray-brown edges
Adult female:
• Gray-brown crown, cheek and nape
• Yellow and white supercilium and malar streak
• Grayish-white underparts
• Buffy streaked flanks
• Gray-brown back with black streaks
• Black wings with gray-brown edges
• Immatures similar to female but duller.
Similar species:
The male Dickcissel is similar in pattern to the meadowlark but is much smaller with a thicker bill. The female Dickcissel is similar to the female House Sparrow but has larger, pale bill.
They are considered a pest by farmers in some regions because flocks can consume large quantities of cultivated grains. Dickcissels forage on the ground or in fields. They mainly eat insects and seeds.
Dickcissel populations frequently fluctuate in numbers, even to the extent that their range changes notably.
A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.
An African proverb
Bird Quotation Popularity Poll
(4 answers max)
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Add any comments below and/or indicate if you spotted this bird.
A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.
Bird Quotes Notice
Please submit bird sayings, bird quotes, bird poems, or your own bird quote. Enter the bird quotation for others to enjoy by filling out the Submit form on the menu.
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