The Corvidae birds are known for their intelligence, and magpies are no exception. With their impressive vocal repertoire and remarkable cognitive abilities, they are among the most intelligent creatures in the animal kingdom.
Field Identification
Sharply dressed in pied plumage with long tails, magpies are easily recognisable across their vast range, which spans Eurasia, North America, and Australia. Their robust bodies and long tails enable balance maneuverability, and agility.
Intelligence & Cognitive Abilities
One of the few non-mammalian animals to have passed the mirror test, magpies are capable of self-recognition, indicating a sense of self-awareness—a rare trait in non-mammals. In various studies, they have demonstrated problem-solving skills and the ability to use tools and plan for the future.
Magpies have exceptional memories, allowing them to recall where they have hidden food for later retrieval. Their foraging strategies often involve caching food for later consumption. This behavior requires them to remember the locations of their caches, highlighting their impressive memory and cognitive abilities.
Diet and Feeding Behaviour
Magpies are opportunistic omnivores with a diverse diet that includes insects, small mammals, seeds, fruits, and carrion—adapting their diet based on seasonal availability. Much like likes, ravens, and other corvid relatives, magpies are known to scavenge human food scraps in urban settings, demonstrating their resourcefulness.
Magpies and Shiny Objects
One of the most intriguing behaviors associated with magpies is their reputed attraction to shiny objects. Although the myth of magpies being kleptomaniacs is exaggerated, they are curious birds and may occasionally collect reflective items out of interest rather than compulsion.
Vocalisations
In addition to their intelligence, magpies are exceptional vocalists, proficient in a wide range of vocalisations, from melodious warbles and fluted notes to complex mimicry. Sounds they are able to imitate include human speech and the calls and songs of other birds.
Social Behaviour
These highly social birds often form complex flocks. Their social structures allow them to work together in tasks like defending their territories or mobbing predators. Magpies are adaptable birds, able to thrive in a range of environments, from woodlands and grasslands to urban areas. They prefer open landscapes with scattered trees or shrubs, where they can nest and forage. Urban magpies have become increasingly common, taking advantage of human-altered environments to find food and shelter.
Magpies in Culture
Magpies hold a prominent place in folklore and mythology and are often associated with symbolism—both positive and negative—across various cultures. In Western traditions, magpies are often the subject of superstition. The well-known rhyme, One for sorrow, two for joy, links the number of magpies seen to omens of good or bad luck. In many East Asian cultures, particularly in Korea and China, magpies are viewed as symbols of good fortune and happiness.
Their intelligence and adaptability have also made magpies a popular subject in art and literature. From Aesop’s fables to modern works, these birds are often depicted as cunning and resourceful creatures.
Breeding and Reproduction
Magpies are monogamous birds that typically form long-term pair bonds. During the breeding season, which usually begins in early spring, they construct elaborate nests using twigs, mud, and plant fibers. Magpie clutches comprise up to eight eggs, which the female incubates while the male supplies food. After hatching, both parents share the responsibility of feeding and protecting the nestlings. Young magpies fledge after about four weeks and remain with their parents for several months before leaving the nest.
The classification of magpies is somewhat convoluted. Two distinct lineages exist: The black-and-white Holarctic species, closely related to crows and jays, and the more colourful Asian magpies.
Depending on the classification system, there are roughly eighteen magpie species across four genera. Species such as the Malayan black magpie is, in fact, a treepie, and not a magpie. Treepies are a distinct group of corvids externally similar to magpies belonging to the Crypsirina, Dendrocitta, Platysmurus, and Temnurus genera.
Let’s take a look at the different magpie genera and species.
1. Genus Cissa
The Cissa genus comprises four noisy species that are similar in appearance with apple-green body plumage, deep red flight feathers, bright red bills, and a black mask-like eye stripe that extends from the base of the bill to the nape. In sunlight-deficit environments, or as a result of poor diet, their plumage colours fade to pale turquoise and brown. They inhabit tropical forests where they feed on arthropods and small vertebrates.
1.1. Common Green Magpie, Cissa chinensis
The common green magpie has plum-red wings, a long tail, black-and-white spotted tertiaries, and a yellow-green crown. Its five subspecies are spread across Asia from the Himalayas to the Southeast.
1.2. Bornean Green Magpie, Cissa jefferyi
The Bornean green magpie is endemic to the island of Borneo, where it inhabits dense montane forests. It has wine-red flight feathers, white tertiaries, and white-tipped tail feathers. It is the only white-eyed species of the Cissa birds.
1.3. Indochinese Green Magpie, Cissa hypoleuca
Also known as the yellow-breasted magpie, this species is native to Southeast Asia and China. Southeast Asian birds of this species are distinctive, with bright yellow throats, breasts, and bellies, whereas Chinese birds have green underparts like other Cissa species. The Indochinese green magpie has a wispy crest and russet-red wings.
1.4. Javan Green Magpie, Cissa thalassina
A critically endangered species endemic to the montane forests of Java where they were once common. Populations have plummeted due to habitat loss and the illegal capture of wild birds for the captive wildlife industry. The Javan green magpie has russet-red wings, white tertiary feathers, and a distinctively arched eye mask.
2. Genus Cyanopica
Once treated as conspecific, the two magpies of the Cyanopica genus are named for the distinctive blue in their wings and tails. They are slender birds with long tails and striking plumage. Both species have black caps and sandy greyish-brown body plumage with paler underparts. These are highly vocal, social birds that breed in colonies. Cyanopica birds inhabit coniferous and broadleaf forests. Some populations also frequent parks, and gardens. They feed on acorns, pine nuts, invertebrates, fruits, berries, and human food scraps.
2.1. Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus
The azure-winged magpie is found in eastern and northern Asia. It is found in forests, riparian areas, orchards, parks, and gardens.
2.2 Iberian Magpie, Cyanopica cooki
The Iberian magpie is native to Portugal and Spain, where it inhabits woodlands, orchards, and olive groves.
3. Genus Pica
The Pica birds are the most recognisable magpies in the West. They have characteristic long tails and black and white plumage. Their wings and tail are glossed with an iridescent sheen in shades of blue and green.
Pica magpies inhabit open wooded areas. Some species are common in urban and suburban areas, parks, and gardens. They are opportunistic omnivores with a varied diet that includes arthropods, small vertebrates, carrion, and human food scraps, depending on the species.
3.1. Eurasian Magpie, Pica pica
Of the Pica magpies, the Eurasian magpie is the most widespread, found in Europe, Asia, and North Africa.
3.2. Black-billed Magpie, Pica hudsonia
Found in meadows, grasslands, and sagebrush plains across North America, the black-billed is named for its black bill—a common feature in Pica birds.
3.3. Yellow-billed Magpie, Pica nuttalli
Found in California, the yellow-billed magpie has a thick, yellow bill for which it is named. Some birds have yellow around the eyes.
3.4. Maghreb Magpie, Pica mauritanica
A North African magpie found in open wooded areas of Morocco, northern Algeria, and Tunisia. The Maghreb magpie has a metallic blue patch of bare skin behind the eye.
3.5. Asir Magpie, Pica asirensis
Native to Saudi Arabia, the Asir Magpie is endangered due to habitat destruction and climate change impacting its restricted range in the South West Arabian mountains.
3.6. Black-rumped Magpie, Pica bottanensis
The black-rumped magpie is found across the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. Its range overlaps with the oriental magpie, with which it can only be distinguished by its duller gloss and stouter bill.
3.7. Oriental Magpie, Pica serica
The Oriental magpie is found in northern and eastern Asia. Its range extends from southern Russia to northern Indochina. Its loud, chattering call resembles the shutters of old cameras.
4. Genus Urocissa
Magpies of the Urocissa genus are characterised by their blue plumage and long tails. The name Urocissa is derived from the Ancient Greek words oura (tail), and kissa (magpie). These magpies are chiefly omnivorous with invertebrates making up the bulk of their diets. Most species inhabit broadleaf evergreen tropical and subtropical forests, except for the yellow-billed magpie, which is found in moist deciduous and temperate forests.
4.1. Red-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa erythrorhyncha
The type species of the genus, also known as the blue magpie, is native to the Indian subcontinent and Vietnam area. Named for its red bill, it also has orange-red eye rings and legs. Pale blue spots dot the back of its crown becoming concentrated around the nape—a unique feature of this species. Its head, neck, and breast are black. It has a dull blue rump and shoulders, a bluer tail, and greyish-cream underparts.
4.2. Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Urocissa ornata
Found in Sri Lanka, this magpie is distinctive, with cerulean-blue body plumage and a chestnut-coloured head, wings, and upper breast. It has a long blue tail with large white spots on the underside.
4.3. Taiwan Magpie, Urocissa caerulea
Also known as the Formosan blue magpie, this species is found in Taiwan. Its plumage is deep blue to purple. It has a black hood, yellow eyes, a red bill, and red legs.
4.4. White-winged Magpie, Urocissa whiteheadi
The white-winged magpie is an endangered species native to southern China, Laos, and northern Vietnam. Distinct from other magpies of this genus, it has black and white plumage and lacks the blue colouration typical of Urocissa birds. Little information is available on the white-winged magpie. Populations are believed to be in rapid decline due to widespread deforestation within their range. The species is classified as “near-threatened” by the IUCN.
4.5. Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa flavirostris
Also known as the gold-billed magpie, this species is found in the northern Indian subcontinent and Vietnam. The yellow-billed blue magpie has a black hood, purplish-blue upper parts, white underparts, and a golden-yellow bill for which it is named. It is similar to the blue magpie, except the latter has an orange-red bill, and the gold-billed magpie has a yellow-gold bill and lacks the blue spots on its crown.
Final Thoughts
Magpies are remarkable creatures with complex behaviors and rich cultural significance. High intelligence, adaptability, and widespread distribution have contributed to the success of magpie species—most of which are thriving in their respective ranges. Still, habitat loss and destruction are placing some species under threat.
Conservation efforts focused on habitat preservation are essential for ensuring the future of insular species such as the Asir and white-winged magpies. Urbanisation has created both opportunities and threats for magpies.
While they thrive in cities, they may face challenges such as vehicle collisions and reduced availability of natural food sources. Educating the public about coexisting with these intelligent birds can help perpetuate their continued presence in human-dominated landscapes.
