CANBERRA, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- The magpie has been voted Australia's Bird of the Year, receiving more than 19,000 votes in the public poll.
The result of the poll, conducted by the Guardian Australia, was announced on Monday with the magpie a surprise winner with 13.3 percent of the vote followed by the Australian white ibis, known colloquially as the "bin chicken," with 12.7 percent and the laughing kookaburra with 7.3 percent.
"The bin chicken -- the ibis -- was leading when the poll went dark on The Guardian website," Sean Dooley, editor of Australian Birdlife magazine, said on Australian television on Monday morning.
"Coming up close behind it was the magpie.
"It has been neck-and-neck in the home straight but the magpie has been the number one bird -- the Bird of the Year is the Australian magpie."
The top 10 included a host of iconic Australian birds including the rainbow lorikeet, wedge-tailed eagle and southern cassowary.
The ibis was given the name "bin chicken" on account of its habit of rummaging through garbage to find food. It is particularly prominent in Sydney.
Dooley said that the ibis' bin-diving and the magpie's tendency to swoop at people to protect its eggs also made the species' likely to "also win the least favourite."
But he said the magpie had some redeeming qualities.
"They're incredible birds and they have an amazing vocal range, they're one of the most complex vocal birds of any bird in the world," Dooley said.
"It is so evocative -- that kind of carolling."
"Magpies are easily tamed and people have a great connection with them. They love to feed them."
