The Japanese ambassador to Australia, Shingo Yamagami, is a big fan of Australian flora and fauna but not so keen on the magpie, who he has described as "the bird of terror", especially with spring on our doorstep.
Mr Yamagami, who writes whimsical newsletters about life in Australia and Canberra, devoted two whole editions to the magpie, who, he told his readers back home, had "a beak that is as sharply honed as a letter opener".
