No.305 · Birds · Common
Magpie
Pica pica
Black and white at a glance, but look closer: blue on the wings and bronze-green along that long tail. Bold, clever, and found almost everywhere.
When to see a magpie
All year, mostly at dawn and by day.
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Time of day
- Dawn
- Day
- Dusk
- Night
Magpie facts at a glance
- Best time
- All year, all day: lawns, roadsides, parks and gardens.
- Where in the game
- Millbrook (urban, garden, park, churchyard and farmland)
- Size
- Length about 45 cm, at least a third of it tail (BTO)
- Weight
- About 213 g (BTO adult average)
- Lifespan
- Typically 5 years; the oldest ringed bird lived over 21 (BTO)
- Population
- About 610,000 territories in the UK (BTO, 2016)
- Status
- Green (Birds of Conservation Concern)
Diet
Almost anything: the RSPB calls magpies jacks of all trades, as scavengers, predators and pest-destroyers.
Habitat
Towns, gardens, parks and farmland.
Breeding
Typically 5–6 eggs (BTO), and young birds that aren't breeding gather in flocks.
Field signs
- A loud chattering rattle from a hedge or rooftop
- A long stiff tail held clear of the ground as it hops
- Small groups squabbling over a lawn or roadside
Did you know?
- The old rhyme 'One for sorrow, two for joy' has made it one of Britain's most talked-about birds.
- Non-breeding magpies gather in flocks (RSPB), so counting them isn't always a matter of ones and twos.
- At least a third of its length is tail (BTO).
Photo tip
Black and white together is hard: expose for the white and let the black fall where it will. Low sun brings out the blue and green.
Be a good naturalist
Don't bait or chase them. If you think a nest is being disturbed, leave well alone: it's protected.
The law
Protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, though licences allow control in some circumstances.
