Shot Notes
This is a male Magpie Lark. It’s DNA shows it is not a magpie or a lark but a monarch flycatcher. Like many Australian birds it was originally named using an English ornithologist’s vocabulary. Today its name depends on which state you are in. It is known as a Peewee in New South Wales and Queensland, a Mudlark in Victoria and Western Australia, and a Murray Magpie in South Australia.
This image has been accepted by Shutterstock for Stock Photography and is be available for download here.
It looks nothing like a British magpie! I guess they only had their memories or drawings for comparison when they named various creatures – no colour photography ☺
I guess the black & white feathers reminded them of a magpie. There are many species especially in Australia whose DNA is revealing them to be misnamed.