Magpie is a bird that belongs to the same family as crows, ravens, and jays. The black-billed magpie lives throughout Europe, central Asia, parts of Siberia, and western North America from Alaska to New Mexico. The yellow-billed magpie lives in California.
Both yellow- and black-billed magpies are black with white underparts and wing tops. The black feathers of the wings and tail are tinged with a shiny bronze-green. The long tail of the bird narrows at the tip, and the bird’s bill is heavy.
Magpies eat chiefly insects, including grasshoppers and beetles. The bulky nest of the magpie is usually in a bush or tree and is covered with a loose canopy of thorny sticks. The female lays five to seven bluish-green eggs spotted with brown and tan. The female incubates the eggs by sitting on them, and the male feeds her. Both the male and the female feed the young. Magpies live up to 12 years.
Loading the player...Black-billed magpie
Magpies travel in pairs or small groups. However, these birds may gather in large numbers at roosts or sources of food. They have a large number of calls, such as their well-known rattling chatter and the soft, warbling sounds that are used between mates at the nest. Tame magpies may imitate the human voice or the calls of other birds.
