here in qld i have seen both scenerios when we lived in the south
western rural then now 'burbs, we had around 2 dozen magpies in the
brood whatever they all had their nests in the same group of trees,
there were squabbles but just the pecking order thingy.

here the families of magpies on our place (2) and the family next door
seem to have 3 adults at all times so they 'p' their young off when
the next season comes, they have border squabbles usually non-life
endangering but last year one of the alpha males from one of the
families on our block was killed in a scuffle, very quick it was so i
think it was accidental or a lucky blow so to speak. seems to me to be
an alpha male an alpha female and a beta male in each group, so when
an alpha male was killed by foxes after he broke a wing on electric
wires the second male stepped in but the beta spot was soon filled
from the next brrod i think.

in the burbs we only ever had 2 permanent birds. might be something to
do with gender or available habitat?

len

snipped
--
happy gardening
'it works for me it could work for you,'

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