Black-Billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
Habitat
Ground
Diet
Omnivore
Active Time
Diurnal
Size
177 g
About This Species
Look for this striking black-and-white magpie in open woodland, farmland edges and parks across western North America, often in small noisy groups perched on fence posts or foraging on the ground. Its long, iridescent tail and loud chattering calls make it conspicuous and easy to identify at a distance. It is present year-round and most easily watched in open habitat during autumn and winter, when flocks forage together on stubble fields and pasture.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- A distance of several metres is generally adequate given how habituated this species is to human activity in much of its range, though large stick nests should not be approached closely during the breeding season.
- Nests and eggs are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act in the United States and Canada, so deliberate disturbance of an active nest is illegal despite the species' boldness elsewhere.
- Avoid lingering near communal roosts or nest colonies, since repeated disturbance can cause birds to abandon otherwise suitable sites.
LCAvesPasseriformesCorvidae
Seasonal Activity
2,565,618 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Corvidae
Traits
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Foraging
- Ground
- Activity
- Diurnal
- Body mass
- 177 g
Photo
(c) Christopher J. Earle, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Christopher J. Earle
CC-BY-NC-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.