Magpie-lark (Peewee)
Grallina cyanoleuca
Other Names: Australian Magpie-Lark, Peewee, Mudlark
Family: Dicruridae (Monarchs, Fantails, Drongo,19 species in Australia)
Size: 27 cm
Distribution: All of Australia except a couple of small parts of central australia and a strip going from the southern WA/SA border up to the northwest WA coast.
Status: Common
Habitat: Open areas, roadsides, often near water.
References: Simpson and Day, Reader's Digest
The name magpie-lark is used in the bird books but everyone in real life calls this bird the peewee. They are in a different family to magpies, currawongs, and butcherbirds, though I often think of them as being a similar type of bird.
The male peewee (pictuerd below) has a black throat and a black face with a white stripe above the eye. The female has a white throat and white around her beak.
Photo: Winmalee, Blue Mountains NSW. High Resolution (1878 x 1323).
Some Birdwatching Resources
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Field Guide to Australian Birds: Complete Compact Edition, by Michael Morcombe. Based on the above larger book. It's a while since I've seen this one. The publisher's commentary says that "This slimline, compact edition contains the same information on mainland and Tasmanian birds as his best-selling handbook, the Field Guide to Australian Birds. Features include plastic jacket, QuickFind system of colour tags and Quick Index ensure durability and ease of use in the field."
Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)
Purchase from Australia (Angus & Robertson) 
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Birdsong, Don Stap. From the promotional material: "Following one of the world's experts on birdsong from the woods of Martha's Vineyard to the tropical forests of Central America, Don Stap brings to life the quest to unravel an ancient mystery: Why do birds sing and what do their songs mean? We quickly discover that one question leads to another. Why does the chestnut-sided warbler sing one song before dawn and another after sunrise? Why does the brown thrasher have a repertoire of two thousand songs when the chipping sparrow has only one? And how is the hermit thrush able to sing a duet with itself, producing two sounds simultaneously to create its beautiful, flutelike melody?"
Purchase from Australia (Booktopia)
Click here to purchase from Australia (Fishpond)
Click here to purchase from Wilderness Awareness School $24.00 USD (May not work) | See AlsoAustralian Bird Field Guides
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