Eurasian magpie
Eurasian magpie Temporal range:
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Nominate subspecies in Kaliningrad, Russia | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Corvidae |
Genus: | Pica |
Species: | P. pica
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Binomial name | |
Pica pica | |
Subspecies | |
See text | |
Global range of the Eurasian magpie and other Afro-Eurasian Pica species. Light blue: Pica pica melanotos Now treated as separate species: | |
Synonyms | |
Corvus pica Linnaeus, 1758 |
The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the
The Eurasian magpie is one of the most
Taxonomy and systematics
The magpie was described and illustrated by Swiss naturalist
The Eurasian magpie is almost identical in appearance to the North American
The gradual
- P. p. fennorum – Lönnberg, 1927: northern Scandinavia and northwest Russia
- P. p. pica – (Linnaeus, 1758): British Isles and southern Scandinavia east to Russia, south to Mediterranean, including most islands
- P. p. melanotos – A.E. Brehm, 1857: Iberian Peninsula
- P. p. bactriana – Bonaparte, 1850: Siberia east to Lake Baikal, south to Caucasus, Iraq, Iran, Central Asia and Pakistan
- P. p. leucoptera – Gould, 1862: southeast Russia and northeast China
- P. p. camtschatica – Stejneger, 1884: northern Sea of Okhotsk, and Kamchatka Peninsula in Russian Far East
Others now considered as distinct species:
- P. mauritanica – Malherbe, 1845: North Africa (Morocco, northern Algeria and Tunisia) (now considered a separate species, the Maghreb magpie)[13]
- P. asirensis – Bates, 1936: southwest Saudi Arabia (now considered a separate species, the Asir magpie)[14]
- P. serica – Gould, 1845: east and south China, Taiwan, north Myanmar, north Laos and north Vietnam (now considered a separate species, the Oriental magpie)
- P. bottanensis – Delessert, 1840: west central China (now considered a separate species, the black-rumped magpie)
A study using both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA found that magpies in eastern and northeastern China are genetically very similar to each other, but differ from those in northwestern China and Spain.[15]
Etymology
Magpies were originally known as simply "pies". This is hypothesized to derive from a Proto-Indo-European root *(s)peyk- meaning "pointed", in reference to the beak or perhaps the tail (cf. woodpecker). The prefix "mag" dates from the 16th century and comes from the short form of the given name Margaret, which was once used to mean women in general (as Joe or Jack is used for men today); the pie's call was considered to sound like the idle chattering of a woman, and so it came to be called the "Mag pie".[16] "Pie" as a term for the bird dates to the 13th century, and the word "pied", first recorded in 1552, became applied to other birds that resembled the magpie in having black-and-white plumage.[17]
Description
The adult male of the
The subspecies differ in their size, the amount of white on their plumage and the colour of the gloss on their black feathers. The Asian subspecies P. p. bactriana has more extensive white on the primaries and a prominent white rump.[19]
Adults undergo an annual complete
Eurasian magpies have a well-known call. It is a choking chatter "chac-chac" or a repetitive "chac-chac-chac-chac". The young also emit the previous call, although they also emit an acute call similar to a "Uik Uik", which may resemble the barking of a small dog. Both adults and young can emit a kind of hiss barely noticeable from afar.
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Skull of a Eurasian magpie
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In flight, showing the numerous brightly coloured sheens on its feathers
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A magpie's underside visible as it prepares to land
Distribution and habitat
The range of the magpie extends across temperate Eurasia from Portugal, Spain and Ireland in the west to the Kamchatka Peninsula.[19]
The preferred habit is open countryside with scattered trees and magpies are normally absent from treeless areas and dense forests.[19] They sometimes breed at high densities in suburban settings such as parks and gardens.[21][22] They can often be found close to the centre of cities.[23]
Magpies are normally sedentary and spend winters close to their nesting territories but birds living near the northern limit of their range in Sweden, Finland and Russia can move south in harsh weather.[19]
Behaviour and ecology
Breeding
Some magpies breed after their first year, while others remain in the non-breeding flocks and first breed in their second year.[24] They are monogamous, and the pairs often remain together from one breeding season to the next. They generally occupy the same territory on successive years.[25]
Mating takes place in spring. In the courtship display, males rapidly raise and depress their head feathers, uplift, open and close their tails like fans, and call in soft tones quite distinct from their usual chatter. The loose feathers of the flanks are brought over the primaries, and the shoulder patch is spread so the white is conspicuous, presumably to attract females. Short buoyant flights and chases follow.
Magpies prefer tall trees for their bulky nest, firmly attaching them to a central fork in the upper branches. A framework of the sticks is cemented with earth and clay, and a lining of the same is covered with fine roots. Above is a stout though loosely built dome of prickly branches with a single well-concealed entrance. These huge nests are conspicuous when the leaves fall. Where trees are scarce, though even in well-wooded country, nests are at times built in bushes and hedgerows.
In Europe, clutches are typically laid in April,[26] and usually contain five or six eggs, but clutches with as few as three and as many as ten have been recorded.[27] The eggs are laid in early morning, usually at daily intervals.[28] On average, the eggs of the nominate species measure 32.9 mm × 23 mm (1.30 in × 0.91 in) and weigh 9.9 g (0.35 oz).[28][29] Small for the size of the bird, they are typically pale blue-green, with close specks and spots of olive brown, but show much variation in ground and marking.[30]
The eggs are incubated for 21–22 days by the female, who is fed on the nest by the male.
A study conducted near Sheffield in Britain, using birds with coloured rings on their legs, found that only 22% of fledglings survived their first year. For subsequent years, the survival rate for the adult birds was 69%, implying that for those birds that survive the first year, the average total lifespan was 3.7 years.[37] The maximum age recorded for a magpie is 21 years and 8 months for a bird from near Coventry in England that was ringed in 1925 and shot in 1947.[38][39]
Feeding
The magpie is
, grain, and other vegetable substances.Intelligence
The Eurasian magpie is believed to be not only among the most intelligent of birds, but also among the most intelligent of all animals. Along with the
Magpies have been observed engaging in elaborate social rituals, possibly including the expression of grief.
Status
The Eurasian magpie has an extremely large range. The European population is estimated to be between 7.5 and 19 million breeding pairs. Allowing for the birds breeding in other continents, the total population is estimated to be between 46 and 228 million individuals. The population trend in Europe has been stable since 1980.
Relationship with humans
Traditions, symbolism, and reputation
Europe
In Europe, magpies have been historically demonized by humans, mainly as a result of superstition and myth. The bird has found itself in this situation mainly by association, says Steve Roud: "Large black birds, like crows and ravens, are viewed as evil in British folklore and white birds are viewed as good".
In Britain and Ireland, a widespread traditional rhyme, "One for Sorrow", records the myth (it is not clear whether it has been seriously believed) that seeing magpies predicts the future, depending on how many are seen. There are many regional variations on the rhyme, which means that it is impossible to give a definitive version.[49][52]
In
In Sweden, it is further associated with witchcraft.[49] In Norway, a magpie is considered cunning and thievish, but also the bird of hulder, the underground people.[59]
Magpies have been attacked for their role as predators, which includes eating other birds' eggs and their young. However, one study has disputed the view that they affect total song-bird populations, finding "no evidence of any effects of [magpie] predator species on songbird population growth rates. We therefore had no indication that predators had a general effect on songbird population growth rates".[60] Another study has claimed that songbird populations increased in places where magpie populations were high and that they do not have a negative impact on the total song-bird population.[61]
Citations
- ^ . Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- ^ PMID 18715117.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-306-47727-0.
- ^ Gesner, Conrad (1555). Historiæ animalium liber III qui est de auium natura. Adiecti sunt ab initio indices alphabetici decem super nominibus auium in totidem linguis diuersis: & ante illos enumeratio auium eo ordiné quo in hoc volumine continentur (in Latin). Zurich: Froschauer. pp. 666–672.
- ^ a b c Blake, Emmet R.; Vaurie, Charles (1962). "Family Corvidae, Crows and Jays". In Mayer, Ernst; Greenway, James C. Jr. (eds.). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 15. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. pp. 250–254.
- ^ Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturæ per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae [Stockholm]: Laurentii Salvii. pp. 106–107.
- ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie (in French). Vol. 1. Paris: C.J.-B. Bauche. p. 30.
- ^ Brisson, Mathurin Jacques (1760). Ornithologie (in French). Vol. 2. Paris: C.J.-B. Bauche. p. 35.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ISBN 978-1-891276-00-2. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2015-11-18. Retrieved 2015-11-17.
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- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Crows, mudnesters & birds-of-paradise". IOC World Bird List Version 8.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- S2CID 216387095.
- PMID 22842292.
- ^ "Magpie (n.)". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ "Pie". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-850188-6.
- ^ a b c d e f Madge, S. (2009). "Common Magpie (Pica pica)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 31.
- ISBN 978-0-7923-7458-9.
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- ^ Birkhead 1991, pp. 132–133.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, pp. 61–62.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, pp. 147–148.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 155.
- ^ a b Birkhead 1991, pp. 162–163.
- ^ Witherby, H.F. (1920). A practical handbook of British birds. Vol. v. 1, pt. 1-8. London: Witherby. p. 23.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 164.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 161.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 166.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 173.
- ^ a b c Birkhead 1991, p. 183.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, p. 177.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, pp. 179–181.
- ^ Birkhead 1991, pp. 130–132.
- ^ "European Longevity Records". Euring. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ^ Robinson, R.A.; Leech, D.I.; Clark, J.A. "Longevity records for Britain & Ireland in 2014". British Trust for Ornithology. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
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- ^ "Corvidae". Birding in India and South Asia. Retrieved 10 November 2007.
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- ^ de Waal, Frans (2009). The Age of Empathy: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society. New York: Harmony Books. p. 149.
- ISBN 9781449087913.
- ^ "Species factsheet: Pica pica". BirdLife International. Retrieved 20 November 2015. NB – BirdLife International consider the North American black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia) as a subspecies of Pica pica.
- ^ Winterman, Denise (2008-03-28). "Why are magpies so often hated?". BBC News Magazine.
Magpies have a dubious reputation because they are a bit of both. Over the years they have been lumped in with blackbirds
- .
- ^ a b c Brewer, E.C. (1970). Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. rev. by Ivor H. Evans (centenary ed.). London: Cassell. p. 674.
- ^ "How to salute a magpie - Country Life". Country Life. 2015-03-19. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
- ^ Jackson, Georgina Frederica (1885). Shropshire folk-lore, ed. by C.S. Burne, from the collections of G.F. Jackson. p. 223.
- ^ Opie, Iona; Opie, Peter (1959). The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren. Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 217.
- ^ Harrabin, Roger (16 August 2014). "Magpies 'don't steal shiny objects'". BBC News. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- S2CID 717341. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
- ^ "Gömöri magyar néphagyományok (Miskolc, 2002) | Könyvtár | Hungaricana". library.hungaricana.hu. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "Szarka. | Régi magyar szólások és közmondások | Kézikönyvtár". www.arcanum.com. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "Szarka". www.dunaipoly.hu. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "Nagyvárosi természetbúvár: Szarka". Magyarnarancs.hu (in Hungarian). 14 December 2000. Retrieved 2021-08-04.
- ^ "skjære – folketro" [magpie – folklore]. Store Norske Leksikon [Norwegian Encyclopedia] (in Norwegian). 2017-02-22.
- ISBN 978-0-907446-24-8. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
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Cited sources
- Birkhead, T. R. (1991). The Magpies: The Ecology and Behaviour of Black-Billed and Yellow-Billed Magpies. T. & A.D. Poyser. ISBN 978-085661067-7.
Further reading
- Birkhead, T.R. (1989). "Studies of West Palearctic birds: 189 Magpie" (PDF). British Birds. 82 (12): 583–600. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
- Song, S.; Zhang, R.; Alström, P.; Irestedt, M.; Cai, T.; Qu, Y.; Ericson, P.G.P.; Fjeldså, J.; Lei, F. (February 2018) [1 December 2017]. "Complete taxon sampling of the avian genus Pica (magpies) reveals ancient relictual populations and synchronous Late-Pleistocene demographic expansion across the Northern Hemisphere". Journal of Avian Biology. 49 (2): jav-01612. .
External links
- Pica pica in Field Guide: Birds of the World on Flickr
- "Eurasian magpie media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Ageing and sexing (PDF; 2.9 MB) by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze
- Feathers of Eurasian magpie Archived 2018-03-04 at the Wayback Machine