BIBY needs to improve on this type of NON information
It's extremely frustrating when I specifically want to find out when (any) birds breeding season is and this is what is I find from BIBY
My Sceptical brain says the info provided has been quickly copied and pasted without much research by BIBY.
I don't care a flying fart where the info comes from. I just want to find what I'm looking for.
Whatsayyou? Blast away,.,at me, or BIBY.
Breeding:
Magpie-larks build an unusual mud nest. During the breeding season both the male and female gather wet mud and construct a bowl-shaped nest on a horizontal branch, or similar site, often up to 20 m above the ground. The bowl is lined with feathers and grasses. The male and female birds often sit side by side and call alternately, each raising and lowering their wings as they do so. Magpie-larks aggressively defend their nest and territory, which may occupy up to 10 ha. Both parents share the incubation duties and care for the young. If conditions are favourable, more than one brood may be reared in a year.
Living with us
Magpie-larks can be aggressive during breeding season.
Hi Frosty - I got your email and was just looking up the information you were after to reply but I can just as easily post it here.
Firstly to answer your question of the breeding season of Magpie-larks. I have done some reading and it is difficult to define the exact breeding season of this species. As the fact sheet says, they can raise more than one clutch per year if conditions are right and there is a lot of variation in when that breeding season is. HANZAB (Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds) states that, throughout their range, eggs have been recorded in all months, though most are in Spring and Summer. Certainly most records are from August to December but there are records in NSW/ACT, SA, WA and Qld of eggs in some of the months from all other months .
That specific piece of information was missing from that fact sheet and I will add in a short line to indicate that breeding is largely from August to December but can occur outside that time. We have had some wonderful volunteers who have put many hours into researching and writing these fact sheets for us - they are not copied and pasted in.
The fact sheets are simply a quick-guide to the species, they are by no means all incompassing. I am always happy to provide more information or to answer any questions on birds (where I can) - just drop me an email and ask
Hi Frosty. There are numerous sources of information about birds, including their breeding seasons. I frequently refer to Michael Morcombe's Field Guide to Australian Birds for information on breeding seasons, nest shape, number of eggs etc. So if you can't find what you're looking for on BIBY try that one.
Simpson and Day field guides have information on the breeding seasons of most Australian birds if you wish to invest in one. As said by Holly it has been researched and composed by volunteers using their own time and not copy pasted without thought, I'm sure if you were willing to dedicate some time to adding to some of the pages by contributing information they would be grateful. Simpson and Day suggests that the main breeding season for magpiue larks is August to February but given the right conditions they can breed all year round.