Magpie
The Eurasian Magpie, often simply known as the Magpie, is one of several birds in the crow family Corvidae designated as a Magpie. In Europe, Magpie is generally used by English speakers to describe the Eurasian Magpie. The only other species in Europe is the Iberian Magpie or Azure-winged Magpie which is limited to the Iberian peninsula.
The adult male Magpie is 17 to 18 inches in length, of which more than half is the tail. The wingspan is 20 to 24 inches. The head, neck and breast are glossy black with a metallic green and violet sheen, the belly and scapulars are pure white, the wings are black glossed with green or purple and the primaries have white inner webs, conspicuous when the wing is open. The graduated tail is black, glossed with green and reddish purple. The legs and bill are black and the iris is dark brown. The plumage of the sexes is similar but the female is slightly smaller. The young resemble the adults but are at first without much of the gloss on the sooty plumage and the tail is much shorter.
The Magpie can be found across temperate Eurasia from Spain and Ireland in the west to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east. It has also been introduced in Japan on the island of Kyushu. The preferred habitat of the Magpie is open countryside with scattered trees and it is normally absent from treeless areas and dense forests. It sometimes breeds at high densities in suburban settings such as parks and gardens and it can often be found close to the centre of cities. The Magpie is normally sedentary and spends winters close to its breeding areas but birds living near the northern limit of their range in Scandinavia and Russia can move south in harsh weather.
Some Magpies breed after their first year whilst others remain in non-breeding flocks and first breed in their second year. The Magpie is monogamous and pairs often remain together from one breeding season to the next and generally occupy the same territory in successive years. Mating takes place in spring. In the courtship display, males rapidly raise and depress their head feathers, uplift, open and close their tails like fans and call in soft tones quite distinct from their usual chatter. The loose feathers of the flanks are brought over the primaries, and the shoulder patch is spread so the white is conspicuous, presumably to attract females. Short buoyant flights and chases follow.
The Magpie prefers tall trees for their bulky nest, firmly attaching them to a central fork in the upper branches. A framework of sticks is cemented with earth and clay and a lining of the same is covered with fine roots. Above is a stout though loosely built dome of prickly branches with a single well concealed entrance. These huge nests are conspicuous when the leaves fall. Where trees are scarce, though even in well-wooded country, nests are at times built in bushes and hedgerows.
In Europe, the eggs are typically laid in April and clutches usually contain 5 or 6 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 21 to 22 days by the female who is fed on the nest by the male. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first 5 to 10 days and fed by both parents. The nestlings open their eyes 7 to 8 days after hatching and their body feathers start to appear after around 8 days and the primary wing feathers after 10 days. Fledging takes place at around 27 days and the parents then continue to feed the young for several more weeks. The parents also protect the young from predators since their ability to fly is poor, making them vulnerable.
On average, only 3 or 4 chicks survive to fledge successfully. Some nests are lost to predators but an important factor causing nestling mortality is starvation. Eggs hatch asynchronously and if the parents have difficulty finding sufficient food, the last chicks to hatch are unlikely to survive.
The Magpie is omnivorous, eating young birds and eggs, small mammals, insects, scraps and carrion, acorns, grain and other vegetable substances.
The Magpie is believed not only to be among the most intelligent of birds but among the most intelligent of all animals. Along with the Jackdaw, the Magpie's nidopallium area of the brain is approximately the same relative size as those in Chimpanzees and humans. Like other corvids, such as the Raven and Carrion crow, the total brain-to-body mass ratio is equal to most great apes and cetaceans. A 2004 review suggests that the intelligence of the corvid family to which the Magpie belongs is equivalent to that of great apes (Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Gorillas) in terms of social cognition, causal reasoning, flexibility, imagination and prospection.
The Magpie has an extremely large range and a very large population. The population trend in Europe has been stable since 1980 and there is no evidence of any serious overall decline in numbers so the species is classified by the IUCN as being of “Least Concern”.
In Europe, the Magpie has been historically demonized by humans, mainly as a result of folklore, superstition and myth and its reputation as an omen of ill fortune. The Magpie has also been attacked for their role as a predator which includes eating other birds' eggs and their young. However, different studies have reached different conclusions on their impact on the populations of other birds.
Date: 8th April 2023
Location: Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, Noak Bridge, Essex
The adult male Magpie is 17 to 18 inches in length, of which more than half is the tail. The wingspan is 20 to 24 inches. The head, neck and breast are glossy black with a metallic green and violet sheen, the belly and scapulars are pure white, the wings are black glossed with green or purple and the primaries have white inner webs, conspicuous when the wing is open. The graduated tail is black, glossed with green and reddish purple. The legs and bill are black and the iris is dark brown. The plumage of the sexes is similar but the female is slightly smaller. The young resemble the adults but are at first without much of the gloss on the sooty plumage and the tail is much shorter.
The Magpie can be found across temperate Eurasia from Spain and Ireland in the west to the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east. It has also been introduced in Japan on the island of Kyushu. The preferred habitat of the Magpie is open countryside with scattered trees and it is normally absent from treeless areas and dense forests. It sometimes breeds at high densities in suburban settings such as parks and gardens and it can often be found close to the centre of cities. The Magpie is normally sedentary and spends winters close to its breeding areas but birds living near the northern limit of their range in Scandinavia and Russia can move south in harsh weather.
Some Magpies breed after their first year whilst others remain in non-breeding flocks and first breed in their second year. The Magpie is monogamous and pairs often remain together from one breeding season to the next and generally occupy the same territory in successive years. Mating takes place in spring. In the courtship display, males rapidly raise and depress their head feathers, uplift, open and close their tails like fans and call in soft tones quite distinct from their usual chatter. The loose feathers of the flanks are brought over the primaries, and the shoulder patch is spread so the white is conspicuous, presumably to attract females. Short buoyant flights and chases follow.
The Magpie prefers tall trees for their bulky nest, firmly attaching them to a central fork in the upper branches. A framework of sticks is cemented with earth and clay and a lining of the same is covered with fine roots. Above is a stout though loosely built dome of prickly branches with a single well concealed entrance. These huge nests are conspicuous when the leaves fall. Where trees are scarce, though even in well-wooded country, nests are at times built in bushes and hedgerows.
In Europe, the eggs are typically laid in April and clutches usually contain 5 or 6 eggs. The eggs are incubated for 21 to 22 days by the female who is fed on the nest by the male. The chicks are brooded by the female for the first 5 to 10 days and fed by both parents. The nestlings open their eyes 7 to 8 days after hatching and their body feathers start to appear after around 8 days and the primary wing feathers after 10 days. Fledging takes place at around 27 days and the parents then continue to feed the young for several more weeks. The parents also protect the young from predators since their ability to fly is poor, making them vulnerable.
On average, only 3 or 4 chicks survive to fledge successfully. Some nests are lost to predators but an important factor causing nestling mortality is starvation. Eggs hatch asynchronously and if the parents have difficulty finding sufficient food, the last chicks to hatch are unlikely to survive.
The Magpie is omnivorous, eating young birds and eggs, small mammals, insects, scraps and carrion, acorns, grain and other vegetable substances.
The Magpie is believed not only to be among the most intelligent of birds but among the most intelligent of all animals. Along with the Jackdaw, the Magpie's nidopallium area of the brain is approximately the same relative size as those in Chimpanzees and humans. Like other corvids, such as the Raven and Carrion crow, the total brain-to-body mass ratio is equal to most great apes and cetaceans. A 2004 review suggests that the intelligence of the corvid family to which the Magpie belongs is equivalent to that of great apes (Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Gorillas) in terms of social cognition, causal reasoning, flexibility, imagination and prospection.
The Magpie has an extremely large range and a very large population. The population trend in Europe has been stable since 1980 and there is no evidence of any serious overall decline in numbers so the species is classified by the IUCN as being of “Least Concern”.
In Europe, the Magpie has been historically demonized by humans, mainly as a result of folklore, superstition and myth and its reputation as an omen of ill fortune. The Magpie has also been attacked for their role as a predator which includes eating other birds' eggs and their young. However, different studies have reached different conclusions on their impact on the populations of other birds.
Date: 8th April 2023
Location: Noak Bridge Nature Reserve, Noak Bridge, Essex
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Also in: Crows
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