Australian Magpie (Yowies Series 2 by Cadbury)

The evolution of life is a curious thing. You never know what is going to become a forgotten twig on the tree of life and what will be the start of large branches. When fossils of dinosaurs were found, I imagine most were sad that no relatives exist today. However, it turns out one group did, and they are all around us today: birds. They have taken on a wide number of niches and forms to suit, though some can look very similar. Today we see one bird from Australia and New Guinea that looks remarkably like a bird from Europe, Yowies own Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen).

Looks, however, can be deceiving. Though they seem similar to the European Magpie, what with similar colours, reasonable intelligence, large size and omnivorous diets, they aren’t corvids. They actually are renowned singers, with a large range of vocalisations, making them Artamidae, it’s own group in songbirds. Isn’t convergent evolution amazing?

Let’s talk about the actual model. This is a good representation of the species, capturing all the major features. It has a standard standing position, seen in a lot of the bird models Yowies produced. This model does have a little movement in the head, but it is so little movement to render it near useless. It measures 1.8″ high and 2.1″ long, making it quite large for most lines, but may find larger ones that work.

There are only two models ever produced of the Australian Magpie, and this isn’t too bad, all things considered. Maybe not the best of the two, this is older and less well detailed, but if you want one, this makes a good choice. It is long discontinued, so if you want one, eBay is your best choice. It’s worth a shot, I’d say.