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Pied Currawong (Strepera graculina) wildlife photograph

Field guide · common

Pied Currawong

Yellow-eyed forest crow-cousin — ringing ‘curra-wong’ through eastern gums.

Least Concern

Strepera graculina

Overview

Pied currawongs are large black songbirds of eastern Australia with bright yellow eyes and white wing and tail flashes. Their loud, ringing calls carry through forests and suburbs, especially in cooler months when flocks gather.

For Australia collectors, the pied currawong is an eastern staple — yellow eye, white wing flash, and that unmistakable name-call rolling through the canopy.

Habitat

  • Wet sclerophyll forest
  • Dry woodland
  • Suburban canopy
  • Forest edge

Wet and dry forests, woodlands, and suburban trees of eastern Australia from Queensland to Victoria and into South Australia’s southeast.

Countries found

Field notes

Field scale for the Pied Currawong: length around 41-51 cm; weight 250-350 g. Typical lifespan: Around 10-20 years in the wild.

When you are scanning habitat, prioritise wet sclerophyll forest, dry woodland, suburban canopy, and forest edge. Those settings are where a clean look and a usable photo are most likely.

Quick ID anchor: Large glossy black bird with yellow eyes and a robust bill. Confirm with behaviour and habitat before you log the discovery.

Diet

Fruit, berries, insects, small vertebrates, and bird eggs or nestlings.

Also take carrion and opportunistic scraps near people.

Behaviour

Often solitary or in pairs in breeding season; flock in winter.

Perch high and drop onto prey or fruit; loud territorial calls.

How to identify

Large glossy black bird with yellow eyes and a robust bill.

White wing patch and white undertail tip visible in flight.

Interesting facts

  1. 01

    Call sounds like ‘curra-wong’ — the source of the common name.

  2. 02

    Bright yellow iris and heavy bill distinguish them from ravens.

  3. 03

    White patches in the wing and undertail show in flight.

  4. 04

    Omnivorous — fruit, insects, nestlings, and scraps.

  5. 05

    Often form winter flocks in towns and farmland.

  6. 06

    Strongly associated with eastern Australian forests.

Conservation status

LC: Least Concern

Pied currawongs are Least Concern and common in eastern Australia. Local increases in towns can raise predation pressure on smaller nesting birds.

Sources: IUCN Red List

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