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’.
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| 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 |
Please complete the poll
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.
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.
