Eurasian magpie

Pica pica · The Eurasian magpie is a black-and-white crow-family bird that lives year-round across the northern part of Eurasia, from Portugal and Ireland in the west to Kamchatka in the east.

Also called Common magpie, European magpie.

Eurasian magpie
Photo: Alexis Lours, CC BY 4.0
Eurasian magpie
Photo: Rajnish71, CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian magpie
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassAves
OrderPasseriformes
FamilyCorvidae
GenusPica
SpeciesPica pica

Where it lives

Open country and towns across Europe and much of Asia.

Fun facts

  • Eurasian magpies are one of the few bird species known to pass the mirror test, recognising themselves in a mirror.
  • Magpies build bulky nests of sticks cemented with earth and clay, topped with a dome of prickly branches that has a single, well-concealed entrance.
  • In captivity, magpies have been seen counting up to get food, imitating human voices, and using tools to clean their own cages.
  • Young magpies make a sharp "Uik Uik" call that sounds like the bark of a small dog.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).