Magpies are a valuable resource

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 23, 8 November 1983, Page 7

Magpies are a valuable resource

If you have ever silently cursed as a magpie's raucous cry has disturbed your peace or if their possessive threats have frightened you as they've swOoped low over your head — take it all back. Research at Massey University indicates that magpies are a valuable resource for farmers and market gardeners. Miss Clare Veltmand of Massey's Botany and Zoology Departmenthasspenta . year conducting research into magpies, their behaviour and value to farmers and growers. Presence of magpies can help increase production through the bird's habit of eating grubs and insects that destroy pasture and crops, and the magpie's territorial instincts which cause it to scare away smaller cropraiding birds. ^^Magpies live within a ^^11-defined social structure. They are intelligent and their 17-year life cycle gives them many opportunities for learning. Y oung magpies indulge in organised play and adult birds usually settle down to stable partner relationships in a defined, permanent territory. Natives of Australia that were introduced to New Zealand in the 1860's, magpies do not pilfer shiny objects. This is a trait of the crows of Europe to which magpies are not related. Young magpies tend to

leave their family territory and join nomadic flocks. These flocks are the most effective "patrols" for purposes of controlling pests. Research indicates that breeding pairs should be discouraged from establishing their home territory too close to crop areas. This encourages the presence of nomadic flocks around intensive requirement areas such as crops. Further research into magpie management could bring great benefits. Particularly in an area such as the Waimarino where crops and magpies are bpth prevalent.