Pick and Magwire are the best of friends but often disagree with each other. Pick is a very large and clever crow. He is called Pick because he likes to pick up food with his sharp beak.
Crows are very clever and have been known to throw nuts under the wheels of a car to crush the shell so they can get to the nut inside. Some scientists say they are as intelligent as a seven year old child!
Pick got tangled up in a discarded plastic carrier bag and hurt one of his legs as he was trying to break free. His leg was so painful that he struggled to put any weight on it. Although he could still fly, landing was painful for him so when he met an Echidna, a coarse, wiry creature, a little like a cross between a hedgehog and an anteater, he gave Pick one of his spines to use as a splint on his leg until it healed.
The Echidna’s name is Magwire and he has wiry spines. One of the books about Australia, (Book 5) “Stropple to The Rescue” is where we first meet the two characters.
Pick and Magwire like different places, Pick likes to be in the city with all its bright lights and lots of food to be found, while Magwire prefers the outback where he can find plenty of ants and bugs. Echidna’s can also be found in other regions of Australia including up in the mountains. The two friends compromise by spending some time in each place but argue when it is time to leave their preferred surroundings.
More an Echidna
Follow this link to find out what they look like and where they come from – (About the Echidna)