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Magpie Pica pica [Linnaeus, 1758]
Other Names
Trends & Distribution
Breeding & Survival
Biometrics
Books & Links
Order:
Passeriformes
Family:
Corvidae
BTO Codes:
MG , MAGPI
EURING No:
15490
Number in Britain:
590 thousand territories (Summer)
Conservation Status:
UK:
GREEN
European:
Not a species of concern
Global:
Least Concern
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IBC
Status in UK:
(A) Resident Breeder
Subspecies:
pica recorded in Britain (of 11 subsp. in the world)
.
Length:
45 cm
Wingspan:
56 cm
Weight:
M: 240 g F: 200 g
Scientific name from:
L.: pica =magpie (also generally for pied birds)
World Distribution:
Europe, Asia, w North America
Habitat:
Open woodland, scrub, towns
Diet:
Invertebrates (esp. beetles), fruit, seeds, carrion, scraps, occ. small vertebrates
TitBit:
One for sorrow, two for joy; three for a girl, four for a boy; five for silver, six for gold; seven for a secret, never to be told; eight for a wish, nine for a kiss; ten for a bird that's best to miss. When this rhyme originated Magpies were a lot less c
Population and Distribution
Population Trend:
Regional Trends:
Distribution:
New Atlas )
British Population Size:
Summer:
590 thousand territories
in 2000
First Record:
10th Century
[Fossil evidence from
Devensian (last) glaciation, 10-120,000 yr ago]
Latest Survey:
Gregory, R.D. & Marchant, J.H. (1996) Bird Study 43:28-37
Habitat Occupancy (in the Breeding Season):
Most frequent in:
Towns
Also common in:
Villages
And found in:
Scrub, Pasture Farmland, Deciduous Wood
Relative Frequency in Each Habitat:
European Population Size:
Summer:
6.5 to 14 million pairs
(Trend in Numbers )
Birds in Europe
Listed on the Appendices/Schedules of:
WCA(III), WBD(II*)
Survey Results:
Breeding and Survival
Egg Size:
34 x 24 mm
Egg Weight:
9.9 g (of which 6 % is shell)
Number of Nest Records:
216
Clutch Size:
5 - 6 eggs
5.37 ± 1.27 (2 - 9) N = 1723
Incubation:
20 days
20.05 ± 1.79 (17 - 24) N = 1723
by the:
Female
Fledging:
26 - 31 days
28.03 ± 3.70 (21 - 34) N = 2789
as:
Altricial, naked
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Nest Record Scheme data
First Clutches Laid:
22 Apr (8 Apr - 4 May)
Number of Broods:
1
Trends in Breeding Productivity
Number Ringed:
536
Adult Survival:
0.695
Juvenile Survival:
No data
Age at First Breeding:
2
years
Typical Lifespan:
5
years
Maximum Recorded Age:
21yr8m
Biometrics
Ring Size:
E
Wing Length
Adult:
186.2 ± 8.0
Range
173 - 198 mm, N =503
Juvenile:
183.6 ± 8.1
170 - 197 mm, N =615
Male:
193.1 ± 5.1
186 - 200 mm, N =42
Female:
183.5 ± 7.5
172 - 196 mm, N =158
Weight
Adult:
212.9 ± 26.41
Range
171.0 - 254.0 g , N =384
Juvenile:
203.4 ± 26.83
165.0 - 247.0 g , N =436
Male:
236.2 ± 20.33
205.0 - 264.0 g , N =34
Female:
203.5 ± 23.43 .
167.0 - 241.0 g , N =122
Source:
British Trust for Ornithology (2005) Ringing Scheme data
Other Names
Black-billed Magpie
Gaelic:
Pioghaid
Welsh:
Pioden
Danish:
Husskade
Dutch:
Ekster
Finnish:
Harakka
French:
Pie bavarde
German:
Elster
Hungarian:
Szarka
Icelandic:
Skjór
Irish:
Snag Breac
Italian:
Gazza
Norwegian:
Skjære
Polish:
Sroka zwyczajna
Portuguese:
Pega-rabuda
Spanish:
Urraca
Swedish:
Skata
Local Names: Chatterpie, Meg
For More Information...
Books and Monographs:
Birkhead, T. 1991 The magpies Poyser, London
[598.96 BIR]
Birkhead, T.R. 1989 Studies of West Palearctic birds: Magpie British Birds 82:583-599
See Also:
All About Birds (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
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