How to Identify a Magpie

Magpies are small black and white birds that live in Western North America. There are two species of magpie, the black-billed and the yellow-billed. They appear identical except you can identify the rarer yellow-billed magpie by a yellow beak and a bare, yellow spot behind the eye. Magpies were hunted as pests in the past because they eat poultry eggs.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look for a bird with a white body that appears to be wearing a black hood. The hood comes down past the neck and all the way to the tail along the back.

2. Check the black feathers for iridescent hints of blue or green, especially on the wings and tail.

3. Pay attention to the bird's tail. Identify a magpie by its tail that is roughly the same length as its body. When magpies take off the tail feathers unfold and reach as far as the wings.

4. Watch the bird in flight for white shoulder patches and matching wingtips. Only the shoulder patches are visible while the bird is perched. The ends of the wing feathers make an arch. The wings appear widest where they meet the extended tail feathers.

5. Listen to the bird's call. Magpies are noisy birds who make sounds like chr-chr-chr vr-vr-vr. Their call almost resembles a pull starter on a lawnmower.

6. Identify which species of magpie you see by looking for yellow coloration on the bird's head and bill.

Tips & Warnings

• Magpies hunt by scent, rather than sight, making them stand out from most other birds.

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