An adult male white-backed Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) stands alert on a rock in grazing country near Tungkillo, in South Australia's Adelaide Hills. The bird displays the striking black and white plumage characteristic of the white-backed form found across southern Australia. Its clean white nape and back contrast strongly with the glossy black head, breast, wings and long tail. The magpie watches the surrounding ground while searching for insects and other food among the pasture and rocks. A low camera angle places the bird prominently against a softly clouded blue sky. Grass and weathered rocks provide a simple foreground that reflects its rural habitat. Australian Magpies commonly forage across farms, paddocks and other open landscapes.

Tungkillo lies within the agricultural country east of South Australia's Mount Lofty Ranges. Grazed paddocks provide excellent foraging habitat for magpies because short pasture exposes insects and other invertebrates. The species forms a familiar part of the wildlife living alongside Australian agriculture.