Right from the title this so called documentary was an emotive attack on an undeserving `villain'. In W.A., where I come from, there are no Pied Currawongs and Crows and Kookaburras (which were introduced from the eastern states) receive the same undeserved bad press that was dished out to the Currawongs in "Wolves with Wings". Interestingly there Crows form large flocks in a way rarely seen on the eastern seaboard, where Pied Currawongs seem to fill that ecological niche, and are accused of many of the same `evils' which "Wolves with Wings" laid at the beak of Pied Currawongs.
In this unabashedly biased and unfortunately limited view of the Pied Currawong the narrator dramatically tells us `like wolves they gather in packs'. What he fails to go on and tell us is that they do not hunt in packs and that if one has observed them it's clear they rarely attack other birds in packs. Small groups were shown harassing a Magpie, their immediate territorial competitor, and a Channel-billed Cuckoo which raids and lays eggs in their nests. They rarely attack other birds and are often driven off by Magpies. I have seen them harassed by Crested Pigeons and Red Wattle Birds when feeding on the ground.
For reasons more to do with prejudice and lack of real observation urban folklore has it that Currawongs drive away many other birds and hog territory for themselves. This really is folklore and a bit of simple observation and unbiased thought will easily put the lie to it.
As to being responsible for the lack of smaller birds in suburban Sydney the case presented in "Wolves with Wings" was rather thin. The one bird whose nests the Currawongs were shown robbing of young was a Red Whiskered Bulbul, an introduced species which nonetheless survives and thrives in Sydney in spite of Pied Currawongs. As to the other smaller birds which were included by implication, Wrens, Honey Eaters and others, another factor more likely accounts for their disappearance from suburban Sydney. That is the one which was used at the beginning of the show to explain increasing Currawong numbers but not properly followed through; habitat change, which has devastated just those habitats which small birds require..
Now I am not going to suggest that Currawongs do not rob nests but it might be fair to add that so do Kookaburras, Magpies, Butcher Birds and Crows to name just a few others. And, should we eliminate the various Cuckoos because they cast other young out of their nests? The experiment shown of using artificial nests to identify nest robbers was really very light on scientific rigour. Any keen observer of Pied Currawongs could tell the researcher that they are intensely curious creatures and will explore any new and interesting thing they find in their territory. In the program itself it was clear that the Currawong shown was dubious about the authenticity of the `nest', but being an inquisitive creature, and having checked the nest itself, why not check its contents for edibility. To put this down to greed seems rather more a projection of human values than a scientific observation. If such an artificial nest had been put somewhere inhabited by Kookaburras or Crows maybe they too would have been identified as nest robbers, although crows being more cautious creatures by nature would probably have avoided it.
The Currawong is such a good survivor precisely because it is willing to investigate alternative food supplies and is an opportunistic feeder which benefits from human intervention in habitats. In this it shares characteristics with Magpies, some introduced species such as Indian Mynahs, Starlings and Sparrows, and, dare I say it, non-indigenous humans. Maybe the Pied Currawong is too much like us for comfort? And maybe we should be thankful they can compete with us and other introduced birds so that at least we have one or two native birds left to live with.
If the trick nest had been put in thick undergrowth where little birds nest, because these smaller birds do not nest where the researchers place their artificial nests, out on open boughs, I wonder what would have been revealed? Little birds nest in dense scrubby undergrowth typical of Sydney heathland and dense understorey in forested areas, places that Currawongs don't naturally go, so if a “nest had been put there maybe a different story would be revealed. That is precisely the habitat most removed by human incursion into areas like the one shown in the program, and around Sydney in general, and a more likely reason for the lack of little birds. Currawongs are opportunistic feeders and have undoubtedly increased in numbers as they adapt well to disturbed environments and introduced food sources, such as exotic berries, but to blame their nest robbing for the lack of smaller birds is inaccurate and unscientific to say the least. Magpies likewise increase in numbers around the margins of human habitation because they benefit from the disturbances that humans create so one wonders why they too aren't on the villains list.
In the Blue Mountains where I have lived in a number of locations Currawongs roam in large flocks but cohabit with a wide range of other birds. The smaller species also abound, especially in season as they move to follow nectar supplies, and Honey-eaters, Finches, Silver-eyes , Fantails, Pee-wees, Crested Pigeons and Wagtails to name but few are all to be seen. Why? Probably because nearby to human habitation there is still bush in which these birds can nest and breed, protected from the various nest robbers which also abound, and because many gardens also provide nectar bearing and insect attracting plants from which these birds gain additional food.
Observation will tell one that the birds mentioned above are less inclined to nest close around human habitation like the Magpies and Currawongs, which nest in high in trees away from humans and their domestic predator friends. Smaller birds, however, are certainly willing to feed where appropriate food is available regardless of human presence. In our gardens we consistently see Pied Currawongs, Red Wattle Birds, Crested Pigeons, Crimson Rosellas, Magpies, Grey Currawongs and Pink and Grey Galahs feeding together on the ground. In the bushes around a range of smaller birds including White Cheeked Honey-Eaters, New Holland Honeyeaters, Eastern Spinebills, Silver Eyes, Red Browed Finches, Thornbills, Yellow Fantails, and Fan-tailed Cuckoos, to name a few, also abound. These other birds are not driven off or hunted out by the Pied Currawongs, to the contrary, in spite of their numbers the Currawongs often have to wait in the queue, especially when `Mr Magpie' is around.
Pied Currawongs are highly inquisitive and playful birds and much that is interpreted as aggression in their behaviour is playful rather than threatening behaviour when observed with a little objectivity. They certainly chase and harass other birds at times but they also do it to each other. This activity rarely if ever (I have never observed it) leads to any actual harm to other birds. It really seems more a way of Currawongs amusing or entertaining themselves than an intention to harm, much in the way that children enjoy chasing games, Their chasing games with Sulphur Crested Cockatoos are quite something to witness with the “Pollies” giving as good as they get. It is also not unusual to see Red Wattlebirds chasing Pied Currawongs and harassing them, the Wattlebirds being quite feisty and aggressive little creatures in their own right. It is quite amusing to see a Pied Currawong with a Wattlebird actually hanging from its tail in flight as it ducks and weaves in an attempt to escape its pursuer. The Pied Currawongs are certainly territorial at mating although far less so than Magpies but they cohabit readily in established mixed species territories in the long term. When a bird which is not an established part of their neighbourhood appears, however, Pied Currawongs along with many other birds in the area, will drive it out of the territory. Birds passing through a territory (an Ibis and a small group of Pee-wees for example) are a case in point that I have observed and are harassed as they are driven off but not physically harmed. We have often seen young Currawongs and Magpies form apparent `friendships' and play together as juveniles.
Rather than talk of poisoning Currawongs and calling them vermin maybe we need to look at human impact on the environment and be thankful that at least Currawongs can survive what's happening in Sydney and give people their company and joyous song in an increasingly sterile landscape.