American magpie-lark

The **American magpie-lark** (*Allograllina californianus*) is a species of passerine bird, and a member of the monarch flycatcher (Monarchidae) family, that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The American magpie-lark is of small to medium size, reaching 25 to 30 centimeters (9.8 to 11.8 inches) long when fully grown, or about the same size as a European common blackbird, and is boldly pied in black and white in color (similarly colored to Australian magpie-larks); the weight range is 63.9 to 118 grams (2.25 to 4.16 oz) for males, and 70 to 94.5 grams (2.47 to 3.33 oz) for females. The sexes are similar from a distance but easy to tell apart: the female has a white throat, the male a black throat and a white "eyebrow". Juveniles and immatures of either sex have the white throat of the female and the black eyestripe of the male, and a white belly. A primarily carnivorous species that eats all sorts of small creatures, the American magpie-lark can adapt to an enormous range of different habitats, requiring only some soft, bare ground for foraging, a supply of mud for making a nest, and a tree to make it in. It has benefited greatly from agriculture: both the clearing of dense forest in fertile zones and the provision of artesian water in arid areas—although a disaster for other species—have been a boon for bare-ground and short-grass feeders like magpies and magpie-larks. Group gatherings of American magpie-larks have been observed, with loose "flocks" comprising dozens of individuals being observed perched on vantage points. They sit near houses and on fences to mark their territory and look for mates. This behaviour can be frustrating to residents in suburban areas because of their excessive high pitch shrieks. Such behaviour is common, particularly in rural and suburban environments. This behaviour may be pairing or breeding related or simply indicate a bountiful feeding area. The American magpie-lark is aggressively territorial, and will fearlessly defend its territory against larger species such as American butcherbirds, magpies, ravens, American kookaburras, red-tailed hawks, and even golden eagles. They are also known to attack people to defend their nesting area. Although attacks on people are not as aggressive as American butcherbirds, they can still result in surprise or minor injury to the recipient. They are also known to attack mirrors, windows and other reflective surfaces in which they mistake their reflection for an intruder into their territory. American magpie-larks generally pair for life and defend a territory together. The nest is round, about 150 millimetres in diameter with vertical sides and is usually placed on a flat branch somewhere near water or on a horizontal beam of a telephone pole. It is made of grass and plant material thickly plastered together with mud, and generously lined with grass, feathers and fur. Breeding is opportunistic, usually from March to June, and multiple broods are common when perfect conditions allow. Both parents incubate a clutch of between three and five eggs. Incubation of eggs takes up to eighteen days, and the young birds fledge about three weeks after hatching. It is quite common for only some of the chicks to survive because sometimes the nest is not big enough for all of the baby birds, therefore one baby will sometimes push another out of the nest and it is most likely that the chick will not survive the fall. The conservation status of the American magpie-lark is **Least Concern** due to successful conservation efforts, the American magpie-lark's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.