Eurasian magpie

Pica pica

A black-and-white corvid widespread across Eurasia, with a long tail, iridescent wings, and notably flexible intelligence.

Key facts

Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) is an omnivore animal classified as Bird · Passeriformes · Corvidae.
Primary habitats are forest · grassland · urban, with a range across Palearctic.
Activity is diurnal, sociality is loose group, and conservation status is LC (Least Concern).
A black-and-white corvid widespread across Eurasia, with a long tail, iridescent wings, and notably flexible intelligence.
Uses farmland, woodland edges, parks, towns, and open forests, favoring a mix of trees and open feeding areas.

Habitat range map

Native rangeOccasional / Transient

Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Uses farmland, woodland edges, parks, towns, and open forests, favoring a mix of trees and open feeding areas.

It has a black head and back, white belly and shoulders, and a long tail. Wings and tail flash blue-green or purple iridescence.

Pairs or small groups forage on the ground, communicate with harsh calls, and defend nest areas strongly.

It is omnivorous, eating insects, fruit, seeds, carrion, eggs, small animals, and human scraps.

Pairs build domed stick nests in trees and bring a wide range of foods to their chicks.

A corvid known from mirror-recognition studies, it thrives near people through flexible behavior and diet.