Crows and jays · Perching birds
Eurasian Magpie
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Pica pica
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Voice
Call
Alarm
Call
How to recognize it
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Adult male of the nominate subspecies: 44–46 cm long
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Black head, neck and breast with a metallic sheen; white belly and shoulders
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Long tail, longer than the body; white patches visible on spread wings
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Loud chattering call, "chac-chac-chac"
About the species
Black and white set the pattern, with a green and violet sheen across the head, neck and back that shifts with the light. The belly and shoulders are white, and the open wings reveal white inner feathers against dark outer ones. A long black tail, also glossed green and purple, extends well beyond the body.
On the ground, it usually hops, though it can walk, and it moves readily through tree crowns. A loud, repeated "chac-chac" serves as an alarm; during courtship, males use much softer calls. Pairs often keep the same territory from one breeding season to the next.
It turns up in parks, gardens and open ground with scattered trees, often near homes, but avoids dense forest. It feeds on insects, grain, acorns, scraps and carrion, and also takes eggs and young from other nests. Most stay close to their nesting territories through winter, though those near the northern edge may move south in severe weather.
Did you know?
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Passes the mirror mark test
The magpie recognises its own reflection in a mirror: spotting a red mark scientists had placed on its forehead, it tries to scrape it off — a behaviour previously thought to be reserved for great apes and humans.
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Pioneer nest for kestrels
The magpie acts as a settlement pioneer for half of small falcons and owls: first it builds a sturdy nest in a new copse, and a year or two later a kestrel or long-eared owl moves in.
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Hundred metres of nest metal
From a single city magpie nest, after the chicks had fledged, all the metal building material was removed — aluminium forks, wires and bent nails — and once straightened it came to more than a hundred metres of metal.
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Where to find
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In city parks and gardens, listen for loud chattering as Eurasian Magpies often move in small groups from tree to tree.
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Around homes, watch for quick approaches to accessible food — they may pick up scraps or snatch food from people and dogs.
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In parks with tall trees, look after leaf fall for bulky nests in forks high in the branches.
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Outside the city, in open countryside dotted with trees, listen for territorial calls from the canopy near a trunk.
