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331 Featured Specimen
Black-billed magpie

Details

Black-billed magpie

Pica hudsonia

Size
45–60 cm · 145–210 g
Diet
Omnivore
Activity
Diurnal
Sociality
Social
Lifespan
4–9 years

The black-billed magpie is a black-and-white corvid of open western North America. Its long tail, social behavior, and flexible omnivory make it conspicuous.

Range

Habitat range map
Native range Occasional / Transient
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Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)

Details

Habitat

It uses grassland, riparian woodland, farmland, ranchland, and shrub country. Scattered trees or tall shrubs near open foraging areas are favored.

Appearance

Length is 45-60 cm and weight 145-210 g. The body is black and white, the wings and very long tail show metallic gloss, and the bill and legs are black.

Behavior

Diurnal and social, it moves in family groups or small flocks. Birds give loud alarm calls and may gather to mob raptors or other threats.

Feeding

An omnivore, it eats insects, small vertebrates, eggs, fruit, seeds, and carrion. It may pick ticks and scraps around livestock or large animals.

Reproduction

Pairs build a domed stick nest lined with mud and grass. Both defend the nest, and chicks receive a diet rich in animal food.

Notes

It is listed as Least Concern. It adapts well to ranching and farmland, though local numbers depend on food and nesting trees.