South Australia's Emblematic 'Piping Shrike': Which Bird is that?

 

Many people seem to be unaware which bird is South Australia's emblem. Officially the bird is the ‘Piping Shrike’. However, there are no birds with that name in Australia. The emblem is referred to as: the Piping Shrike, Murray Magpie, Magpie Lark, Australian Magpie and White Backed Magpie, amongst other names. The range of names for the State's emblem simply alerts us to the degree of confusion about the emblem’s identity. The key reason for the confusion is that, in Australia – both historic and contemporary – many birds are referred to by colloquial names and/or their common names. The confusion about the bird's name is therefore hardly surprising.

When I awaken in the morning and hear the musical warbling of the White Backed Australian Magpie and the piping sound of the Magpie Lark, my heart fills with gladness. As a proud South Australian, I promote the idea that the name of our bird emblem be clarified and applied consistently, in the interests of State identity and also to reflect more accurately the bird represented in our heraldry. Rather than calling our State emblem the Piping Shrike, we ultimately need a Magpie name to match the emblem. In the meantime, we should at least confirm the identity of the bird on our emblem.

I provide information about two particular ‘pied’ birds. One of these was temporarily named as a ‘Shrike’ during early settlement in Australia. The common name has since been changed. The two birds are the Magpie Lark and the Australian Magpie. I chose these two birds because opinion about which of these birds is the State emblem is divided.

1) The Magpie-Lark (Grallina cyanoleuca) 

Is not a magpie, but its pied colouring makes it amenable to a Magpie name. It has been known by various names, such as Murray Magpie, Mudlark, Peewee and Peewit, the last name being an interpretation of its high pitched piping call. This is one possible reason many people think that this is the Piping Shrike which is featured on the State emblem. However, the Magpie Lark is a dainty bird, which is easily identified by its small beak rather than a magpie like beak and by its distinctive white ‘eyebrows’.

Magpie Lark
Photograph by Neil, 2004
http://www.birdforum.net/opus/Image:1568magpie_lark_DSC_00501.JPG

2) The Australian Magpie  (Cracticus tibicen – formerly Gymnorhina tibicen)

Includes the white backed version and inhabits virtually the whole of Australia. The white backed version is found in much of South Australia and Victoria. It is a handsome and friendly bird, and has a large strong beak, like the other butcher-birds. As with many other birds, it can become aggressive and protective in the mating season.

Australian Magpie (White Backed)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dsevictoria/4839890126
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode

Below is how the bird is represented on the State Flag (1904). It is important to note that the back of the bird is displayed.

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The Root of the Confusion

The Australian Magpie has, over time, been called many different names and the current confusion about the correct identity of the State emblem is not surprising. I briefly outline some important historical information about the State emblem because it helps us understand the current confusion.

Below is an excerpt from the 1876 work by Harcus, South Australia: Its History, Resources and Productions. The book includes important information about South Australian birds, which was provided to Harcus by Mr F G Waterhouse, the curator of the Adelaide Museum. You can see below that a range of bird species included the word ‘shrike’ in their common name including, in broad terms, Crows, Australian Magpies and Butcher Birds. This is one of the reasons for the confusion surrounding the name of the bird on the State emblem. I have highlighted the two birds we now call Magpies. The common name for the Australian Magpie was the Piping Crow Shrike. None of the birds were named the Piping Shrike. You will see that the Magpie Lark was not referred to as a Shrike.

The State bird emblem first appeared in the early 1900s when a new Governor’s ensign was approved. The emblem also appears on the Commonwealth Coat of Arms. The formal communications about the State emblem are confusing with the bird apparently referred to by colloquial names:

1901: Lord Tennyson – South Australian Shrike

1903: Sydney Morning Herald – Piping Shrike commonly known as the Australian Magpie

1912: Lord Harcourt – Australian Piping Shrike

Only the Sydney Morning Herald identifies the Piping Shrike as the Australian Magpie. But, even then, the use of Piping Shrike is not consistent with the names of South Australian birds in the 1876 work that I referred to earlier. 

In 1903, the South Australian Education Department publication Children's Hour addressed the State emblem and included the names White Backed Crow-Shrike and Whistling Crow-Shrike as well as a description of the bird:

Whole of the back pure white, throat and beak black, bill pointed and slightly bent or hooked, nose bare of feathers and nostrils flat slits near the middle of the bill.

There is no doubt that the above is a description of the White Backed Magpie. It is certainly not a description of the Magpie Lark (Murray Magpie).

From the outset the identity of the bird is unclear and the available information confusing. The South Australian Government currently acknowledges the discussion about the identity of the State emblem and contention about the use of ‘Shrike’. Ultimately, they provide the following definitive information:

The Piping Shrike, or white backed magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen leuconota) is the South Australian bird emblem.

This recent statement clearly identifies the Piping Shrike, a colloquial and outdated name as, in fact, the White Backed Magpie. However, many South Australians do not know which bird is the State emblem. A recent Bank SA advertising campaign further muddies the waters about the emblem's identity.

Confusion Perpetuated

Based on the history, current position of the South Australian government and the features of the State emblem design, there is no doubt that the bird is the White Backed Magpie.

However, confusion about the State emblem prevails and I am baffled and disappointed by the continued efforts of Bank SA, in promoting the Piping Shrike name. I have no problems with the bank, excepting for its advertising, which distinguishes the Piping Shrike from the Magpie and connects the Piping Shrike with the State's emblem.

I have included, below, recent Bank SA advertising that features the ‘Piping Shrike’. 

The Advertiser, 20 August, 2016

Bank SA Website
Source: http://info.banksa.com.au/pipingshrike

Note that the information included on the Bank SA website says: You might recognise me from the State flag… . Further, the television and Internet advertising explicitly refers to the Piping Shrike and claims that the Piping Shrike is not a Magpie. So, which bird is Bank SA's Piping Shrike if it is not a Magpie? The markings on the bird indicate that the ‘Piping Shrike’ used in the Bank SA advertising is the Magpie Lark (Murray Magpie). The white ‘eyebrows’ are a significant distinguishing feature of the Magpie Lark. It is unfortunate that Bank SA think the State emblem is the Magpie Lark instead of the White Backed Magpie because their interpretation is not supported by either historic or current information about the State emblem. Their advertising can only serve to perpetuate the confusion about the identity of the bird. 

Here’s a news story about Bank SA’s advertising campaign that features the Piping Shrike:

Clarify the Name

Bank SA's advertising compounds the confusion about the bird's identity because they do not know which bird is South Australia's emblem. Also, the use of the term 'Piping Shrike' is partially responsible for the confusion. As mentioned earlier, there are currently no Australian birds with the common name Piping Shrike. While acknowledging the long term use of the term Piping Shrike to describe our State emblem we must now clarify which bird it is. In my opinion, the continued use of the Piping Shrike name is flawed, especially when children are being fed misleading information.

One redeeming feature however, is the choice of the image of the Australian White Backed Magpie as the South Australian bird emblem, even though it is presently named the Piping Shrike. South Australia has used the image of the White Backed Magpie since the 1900s and it should be retained, but renamed. The White Backed Magpie is to South Australia, what the emu and kangaroo are to the Australian nation, where both of those latter images are featured on the Australian Coat of Arms. Try to imagine the Australian emu being called an African ostrich or the kangaroo being called a leaping reindeer. Even the Australian wombat being called a badger; the animals in this last comparison are both burrowing animals. Using an ambiguous and confusing name reflects badly on our State.

If this situation is not remedied, it could isolate the Australian Magpie from South Australia because of inconsistent Australia-wide naming. Common sense should prevail. It seems ridiculous that our State would think it acceptable to have our Magpies known as Piping Shrikes, while the rest of Australia calls them by their recognised title. It is unfortunate that this oversight has not been amended during the many years that it has been featured. I also mention here that two well-known Australian Rules football clubs were established before and during that same era, namely Port Adelaide and Collingwood. Both chose the correct name of 'magpie' as club names. The bird representing Port Adelaide is the White Backed Magpie. Imagine the Port Adelaide football club being asked by the State Government to change its name to 'the Piping Shrikes'.

It is my view that a name change would reduce the significant confusion about the identity of the bird on our State emblem. Calling the emblem an Australian Magpie – because that is after all what the emblem is - is just common sense. I accept the long-term use of the name Piping Shrike and understand that changing the name of the emblem to Magpie is in some ways fraught. Nonetheless, the starting point is to better educate all South Australians, including Bank SA, about the identity of our bird emblem. 

Perhaps revising the excerpt from the 1903 Education Department publication Children's Hour and circulating to all South Australian schools would help our children understand the truth about the State emblem. It would be helpful too if our political leaders - and Bank SA - made statements to clarify the bird's identity, based on the facts.

As Australians, we are developing our own identity. When I was a child, I honoured the British Empire, by participating in an oath of allegiance; also, we did not have our own National Anthem then. Thankfully, things change and I hope that any changes will be for the better. Educating South Australians about the identity of the emblem and ultimately renaming the State emblem would be, I suggest, changes for the better

Finally, thank you for reading my post. I invite comments and the posting of any further information you might have about the State emblem

JKJ McLoughlin, Happy Valley SA.