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Wednesday, 4 February 2015

Wild Bird Wednesday 134 - Black Currawong

Currawongs are some of my favourite birds - they are smart, active, vocal birds.  Although they look a lots like crows, they are in fact more closely related to Butcherbirds.

This species is the Black Currawong - and it only occurs in Tasmania.  It goes by the name of Strepera fuliginosa which means 'sooty noisy bird' which is as good a description as I could give it.  At about 47 -49 cm long these are impressive birds to see close at hand.

(For those of you with an eye for detail, you will notice that this is the second bird this year with a specific name of fuliginosa - last week's Sotty Oystercatcher having the same specific name).

I am sure these birds were used to receiving handouts from tourists as they would often sit on the window ledges of our cabin and stare inside, skewering us with those intense yellow eyes!

One of these birds has a deformed beak, and I think that you can tell that his (her?) plumage looks a little less well cared for that the first bird.  Maybe that 'extension' prevents it from preening properly.

If you have a look at the second picture of the bird with the 'extra beak' I think you can see that the lower mandible is damaged - this web site by the BTO suggests this may be the cause of the strange growth of the upper one.











Now it's your turn - click the blue button below and off you go!
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47 comments:

  1. TexWisGirl4 February 2015 at 03:05

    sharp-eyed and handsome with a huge beak - even without the abnormality.

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  2. Carletta4 February 2015 at 03:06

    These are some wonderful close up shots Stewart! You have to wonder about that beak. We all have a blemish or two. :)

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  3. EG CameraGirl4 February 2015 at 03:15

    Excellent photos. Yep, that beak extension is probably are big problem!

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  4. Sylvia K4 February 2015 at 03:47

    Love your close-up shots for the day, Stewart!! I would think his beak would create an eating problem, but some of us could use a problem like that if it resulted in our eating less!!

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  5. Rohrerbot4 February 2015 at 03:48

    That last bird with the strange bill is weird.....like our Curve-billed Thrasher. Some have really strange odd shaped bills. Good looking birds!

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  6. Andrea @ From The Sol4 February 2015 at 03:49

    I love the blackbirds ... I wonder with that yellow eye if he is in any way related to the Grackle or with that large beak could be he related to the Ravon. Very cool bird. The deformity doesn't seem to keep him from eating as he looks healthy enough. He looks like he might have a "boarding house reach" at the feeder, Ha! Sure hope it doesn't cause him any problems. Very cool post, Stewart ... maybe another reason to put Tasmania on my list :)

    Andrea @ From the Sol

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  7. eileeninmd4 February 2015 at 04:12

    Hello Stewart, This Currawong is a cool looking bird. Yes, they do look very similar to the crows. Great shots, thanks for hosting.. Have a great week!

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  8. eileeninmd4 February 2015 at 04:12

    Hello Stewart, This Currawong is a cool looking bird. Yes, they do look very similar to the crows. Great shots, thanks for hosting.. Have a great week!

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  9. Anni 4 February 2015 at 04:37

    Love this bird...the color, the golden eyes, AND THAT BEAK!!

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  10. Revrunner4 February 2015 at 04:56

    A pity. I'm always saddened when I see birds that have been injured or deformed.

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  11. Sharon Wagner4 February 2015 at 05:21

    Oh my. That must make it hard to eat. What great shots.

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  12. thewovenspoke4 February 2015 at 05:34

    That is quite the beak they have without the one with the extra. They do look a bit like a raven.

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  13. Breathtaking4 February 2015 at 05:58

    Hello Stewart!:) These are first class shots of the amazing looking Black Currawong.
    Regards.

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  14. Karen4 February 2015 at 06:06

    Handsome bird even with the beak problem. Great close-ups Stewart!

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  15. FAB4 February 2015 at 06:56

    Another interesting species from 'down under'. Super shots Stewart.

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  16. Margaret Birding For Pleasure4 February 2015 at 07:01

    A lovely looking birds but it is a pity that last bird has a deformed beak. As you can see I was able to link in but thanks for going to do it for me.

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  17. Linda W.4 February 2015 at 07:18

    Nice pics - looks like that bird was posing for you! :)

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  18. Findlay Wilde4 February 2015 at 07:50

    They are quite striking especially with that bright eye.

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  19. Valerie4 February 2015 at 09:20

    Those certainly are intense stares!

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  20. Author R. Mac Wheeler4 February 2015 at 09:23

    Both of them are beautiful to me. A deformity. Not in my eye. He's just special.

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  21. Anonymous4 February 2015 at 09:30

    Handsome black birds with mesmerizing eyes. Wonder how that beak affects feeding?

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  22. DeniseinVA4 February 2015 at 09:50

    What an extraordinary bird with a very interesting beak. Great photos Stewart, I'm very happy to learn about this one. Thank you!

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  23. Anonymous4 February 2015 at 11:40

    That is an amazing beak! Love the bright eyes too.

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  24. Brian King4 February 2015 at 11:41

    Wow, what gorgeous birds! Great dark plumage and striking yellow eyes! The beaks are impressive even without the abnormality of the one!

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  25. Liz4 February 2015 at 12:58

    Beautiful images of the Currawong, Stewart! That deformed beak certainly would prove difficult for preening... and a challenge for eating.

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  26. Grandma Barb's This and That4 February 2015 at 13:45

    Very intense looking with those yellow eyes. I would think the deformed beak could cause some problems.

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  27. Mary Hone4 February 2015 at 13:49

    They do look a bit like a crow, very interesting. The beak is something.

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  28. ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®©4 February 2015 at 14:58

    A new bird to me. I'd love to meet a Currawong!
    ~

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  29. Irma4 February 2015 at 19:15

    Hi Stewart,
    This is a beautiful bird.
    It is unfortunate that he has a deformed beak.
    All images are perfectly sharp, good photos, my compliments.
    Best regards, Irma

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  30. Adam Jones4 February 2015 at 19:20

    That is a stonker of a bird.

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  31. Bob Bushell4 February 2015 at 23:10

    The Currawongs are beautiful, a pity for this one. Brilliant images Stewart.

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  32. Optimistic Existentialist5 February 2015 at 00:03

    Hello Stewart!!! They really are beautiful birds. I love their yellow eyes.

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  33. Phil Slade5 February 2015 at 02:51

    An interesting species Stewart. Although so very like a crow I can see how that hooked bill can make it a relative of shrikes.

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  34. amanda5 February 2015 at 04:10

    My eye is drawn to those impressive rear claws. Thanks for introducing me to the Currawong!

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  35. Sheila at WolfSongBlog.Com5 February 2015 at 04:26

    You can tell, just by looking at this bird, that it is smart! You sure have some interesting birds there. What a bill on this one! Thanks for hosting Wild Bird Wednesday so we can all share photos of gorgeous birds!

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  36. jp@A Green Ridge5 February 2015 at 07:04

    The Jimmy Durante of the bird world, Stewart!...:)JP

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  37. Kenneth Cole Schneider5 February 2015 at 07:15

    It is interesting how they bear a resemblance to crows not only in plumage but in their intelligence which seems to go along with omnivorous food habits. Poor fellow with the deformed beak has managed to survive, maybe with help from handouts.

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  38. Pat Tillett5 February 2015 at 09:34

    Well groomed or not, this is still a handsome and impressive bird. Nice photos Stewart!

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  39. Sue (this n that)5 February 2015 at 10:33

    Hi Stewart, you've captured them so well Stewart. How interesting to see that beak, but it'd be a bit hard to eat with I guess, still, he's obviously managed ok so far!

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  40. Russell Jenkins5 February 2015 at 13:31

    I like the calls of pied currawongs in my hometown. I guess this has a similar call? I'm worried about that beak. Some very nice pictures, Stewart.

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  41. Linda5 February 2015 at 16:12

    We don't have these but we have black crows.

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  42. Christian Perrin5 February 2015 at 21:19

    Strange to see such a deformity. I imagine that bird in particular is reliant on handouts!

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  43. Beyond the Dog Dish6 February 2015 at 03:11

    Funny, he looks like he would be a noisy bird too! Eating might be a bit of a challenge with that beak!

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  44. Sallie (FullTime-Life)6 February 2015 at 11:00

    Serious beaks on all of those -- even the one that isn't deformed.

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  45. Hannah8 February 2015 at 23:49

    Searing yellow eyes indeed, they do look a lot like a crow and probably act like them too, I'm sorry to see the deformed beak, probably just needs it clipped off....

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  46. Cranberry Morning15 February 2015 at 05:15

    I've never heard of a Butcherbird or a Currawong before. Quite a handsome bird, but then I like most birds.

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  47. Unknown7 May 2019 at 18:30

    I have seen black currawong with even longer upper beak.
    It was in Tasmania near Cradle Mountain on February 2018.
    This is the post that confirms to me this is actually a black currawong with
    deformity. It is stunning looking bird with a beak like that tho.

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