While many other species can make tools or communicate in some form of language, only a select few—great apes, dolphins, orcas, elephants, and the Eurasian magpie—have demonstrated the self-awareness to recognize their own reflection in a mirror.
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The Oriental magpie has the same call as the Eurasian magpie, albeit much softer.
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It is a brood parasite that lays its eggs in the nests of corvids, in particular the Eurasian magpie.
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Similarly a study examining the decline of British songbirds found no link between Eurasian magpie numbers and population changes of 23 songbird species.
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The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. In Europe, "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the Eurasian magpie: the only other magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is limited to the Iberian Peninsula. The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds, and it is believed to be one of the most intelligent of all non-human animals.
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Pica is the genus of seven species of birds in the family Corvidae in both the New World and the Old. The genus Pica was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760. The name was derived by tautonymy from the specific epithet of the Eurasian magpie Corvus pica introduced by Linnaeus in 1758. Pica is the Latin word for the Eurasian magpie.
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In Provence, France, Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) and western jackdaw (Corvus monedula) made up 10.17% and 9.95% of the diet respectively. In Portugal, Eurasian jay comprised 7.5% by number but only 2.7% of the biomass. Corvids were the leading prey for Bonelli's eagles in Georgia, with the Eurasian magpie comprising 12.3% of the diet (though largely young were reportedly taken) and carrion crows (Corvus corone) making up a further 10.76%.Abuladze, A. (2013).
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IUCN Otter Spec. Group Bull. 30(1). Birds include, the hooded crow, common starling, Eurasian magpie, European robin, water pipit, spotted flycatcher, namaqua dove, saker falcon, griffon vulture, little crake and collared pratincole, among others.
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A recent study comparing 813 bp mtDNA sequences led to the split of the Oriental magpie from the Eurasian magpie. It has been reproductively isolated for longer even than the yellow-billed magpie (P. nuttalli) of North America. Proposed subspecies include P. p.
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Species that have include the great apes (including humans), a single Asiatic elephant, dolphins, orcas, the Eurasian magpie, and the cleaner wrasse. A wide range of species has been reported to fail the test, including several species of monkeys, giant pandas, and sea lions.
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The red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha) is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie but has a much longer tail, one of the longest tails of any corvid. It is long and weighs .
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The Eurasian magpie is believed not only to be among the most intelligent of birds but among the most intelligent of all animals. Along with the western jackdaw, the Eurasian magpie's nidopallium is approximately the same relative size as those in chimpanzees and humans and significantly larger than the gibbons. Like other corvids, such as ravens and crows, their total brain-to-body mass ratio is equal to most great apes and cetaceans. A 2004 review suggests that the intelligence of the corvid family to which the Eurasian magpie belongs is equivalent to that of the great apes (chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas) in terms of social cognition, causal reasoning, flexibility, imagination and prospection.
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Eurasian magpie (P. pica) The various types of magpie gave their name to pied coloration. The bald eagle derives its name from the word "piebald" in reference to the contrast of its white head and tail with dark body. Nadine Gordimer used the term in The Conservationist when referring to kingfishers.
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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.
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Eurasian magpie egg Some magpies breed after their first year, while others remain in the non-breeding flocks and first breed in their second year. 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. Mating takes place in spring.
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The azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) is a bird in the crow family. It is 31–35 cm long and similar in overall shape to the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It belongs to the genus Cyanopica. It has a glossy black top to the head and a white throat.
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The Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki) is a bird in the crow family. It is 31–35 cm long and similar in overall shape to the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It belongs to the genus Cyanopica. Other common names include Iberian azure-winged magpie, Cook's azure-winged magpie and Spanish azure-winged magpie.
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Jays are several species of medium-sized, usually colorful and noisy, passerine birds in the crow family, Corvidae. The evolutionary relationships between the jays and the magpies are rather complex. For example, the Eurasian magpie seems more closely related to the Eurasian jay than to the East Asian blue and green magpies, whereas the blue jay is not closely related to either.
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Black-rumped magpie, Bumthang Valley, Bhutan The black-rumped magpie (Pica bottanensis) is a species of magpie found in central Bhutan to west-central China. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica). A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the black- rumped magpie is a sister taxon to the Asir magpie from southwestern Saudi Arabia.
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The Asir magpie (Pica asirensis), also known as the Arabian magpie, is a highly endangered species of magpie endemic to Saudi Arabia. It is only found in the country's southwestern highlands, in the Asir Region. It occurs only in African juniper forest in well-vegetated wadis and valleys. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), and still is by many authorities.
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The vocalizations of the black-billed magpie consist of a series of rough, scratchy calls. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes its call as a ka-ka-ka-ka, often preceded with a skah-skah. This call is thus very different from that of the Eurasian magpie, and is similar to those of the yellow-billed magpie. When threatened, the black-billed magpie utters a shrill scream.
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Compared to the Eurasian magpie, it is somewhat stockier, with a proportionally shorter tail and longer wings. The back, tail, and particularly the remiges show strong purplish-blue iridescence with few if any green hues. They are the largest magpies. They have a rump plumage that is mostly black, with but a few and often hidden traces of the white band which connects the white shoulder patches in their relatives.
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The Maghreb magpie (Pica mauritanica) is a species of magpie found in North Africa from Western Sahara east to Tunisia. It can be distinguished from the Eurasian magpie by the patch of blue skin behind its eye, the narrower white belly, the shorter wings, and the longer tail. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2018 found that the Maghreb magpie was sister to a clade containing all the other members of the genus Pica.
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An aptitude for avian prey was detected in Transbaikal particularly, including Daurian partridge (Perdix dauurica) and Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) (the latter at up to 15.6% of the diet). In Altai, assorted corvids (at up to 24.2% of the diet), probably mostly rooks (Corvus frugilegus) and Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), were important to diet as were willow ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus). Within the Saratov area, medium-sized birds were frequently reported in the diet, such as grey partridges, little bustards (Tetrax tetrax), northern lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) and rooks.
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Magpies have been observed engaging in elaborate social rituals, possibly including the expression of grief. Mirror self-recognition has been demonstrated in European magpies, making them one of only a few species to possess this capability. The cognitive abilities of the Eurasian magpie are regarded as evidence that intelligence evolved independently in both corvids and primates. This is indicated by tool use, an ability to hide and store food across seasons, episodic memory, and using their own experience to predict the behavior of conspecifics.
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The grey squirrel was the most common wild mammal seen in Greater Manchester in 2012, and were reported in four out of five gardens; hedgehogs were seen in nearly half of all gardens surveyed; bats were seen in a third of all gardens surveyed. The house sparrow, common starling, and common blackbird are among the most populous bird species in Greater Manchester; almost a third of Greater Manchester's gardens had baby blackbirds in June 2012. Eurasian magpie and feral pigeon are common and breed in habitats across the county.Holland, Spence & Sutton (1984), pp. 28–29.
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The Eurasian eagle owl is a predator of choughs. Predators of the choughs include the peregrine falcon, golden eagle and Eurasian eagle-owl, while the common raven will take nestlings. In northern Spain, red-billed choughs preferentially nest near lesser kestrel colonies; the falcon, which eats only insects, provides a degree of protection against larger predators, and the chough benefits in terms of a higher breeding success. The red-billed chough is occasionally parasitised by the great spotted cuckoo, a brood parasite for which the Eurasian magpie is the primary host.
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Magpie, Sweden 2016 Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. The black and white Eurasian magpie is widely considered one of the most intelligent animals in the world and one of only a few non-mammal species able to recognize itself in a mirror test. In addition to other members of the genus Pica, corvids considered as magpies are in the genera Cissa, Urocissa, and Cyanopica. Magpies of the genus Pica are generally found in temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and western North America, with populations also present in Tibet and high-elevation areas of India, i.e.
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It might be that social complexity corresponds to their high cognition. The Eurasian magpie is the only non-mammal species known to be able to recognize itself in a mirror test. Magpies have been observed taking part in elaborate grieving rituals, which have been likened to human funerals, including laying grass wreaths.Animal emotions, wild justice and why they matter: Grieving magpies, a pissy baboon, and empathic elephants Emotion, Space and Society xxx (2009) 1–4, Marc Bekoff Marc Bekoff, at the University of Colorado, argues that it shows that they are capable of feeling complex emotions, including grief.
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The Eurasian magpie passes the mirror test It was recently thought that self- recognition was restricted to mammals with large brains and highly evolved social cognition, but absent from animals without a neocortex. However, in 2008, an investigation of self-recognition in corvids was conducted revealing the ability of self-recognition in the magpie. Mammals and birds inherited the same brain components from their last common ancestor nearly 300 million years ago, and have since independently evolved and formed significantly different brain types. The results of the mirror test showed that although magpies do not have a neocortex, they are capable of understanding that a mirror image belongs to their own body.
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This small insectivorous falcon is better at detecting a predator and more vigorous in defence than its corvid neighbours. The breeding success of the red-billed chough in the vicinity of the kestrels was found to be much higher than that of birds elsewhere, with a lower percentage of nest failures (16% near the falcon, 65% elsewhere). This species is occasionally parasitised by the great spotted cuckoo, a brood parasite for which the Eurasian magpie is the primary host. Red-billed choughs can acquire blood parasites such as Plasmodium, but a study in Spain showed that the prevalence was less than one percent, and unlikely to affect the life history and conservation of this species.
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The raccoons is one of the known predators of this species. Predators of red-winged blackbirds include such species as raccoons, American mink, Long-tailed weasel, Eurasian magpie, Common grackle, the hawks and owls, Red-tailed hawk, short-tailed hawks, and snakes such as the Northern water snake and the Plains garter snake. Ravens and grazers such as Marsh wrens feed on eggs (and even small chicks), if the nest is left unattended, destroying the eggs, occasionally drinking from them, and pecking the nestlings to death. The relative importance of different nest predators varies by geographic region: the top predators in different regions include the marsh wren in British Columbia, the magpies in Washington, and the raccoons in Ontario.
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The prey spectrum was exceptionally diverse here, with no one prey reliably being favored by the imperial eagle pairs, despite an ample colony of yellow ground squirrel (Spermophilus fulvus) and russet ground squirrel (Spermophilus major) being nearby and at least three other species of eagles with nearby nesting sites presenting possible resource competition. Without presenting the metrics, apparently birds were the highest volume prey for the imperial eagles, especially corvids, namely the rook (Corvus frugilegus) and Eurasian magpie (Pica pica), numerous species of duck as well as Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and little bustards (Tetrax tetrax).Katzner, T. E., Bragin, E. A., Knick, S. T., & Smith, A. T. (2005). Relationship between demographics and diet specificity of Imperial Eagles Aquila heliaca in Kazakhstan.
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Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic around 150 million years ago, in what is now southern Germany, and also Portugal, during a time when Europe was an archipelago of islands in a shallow warm tropical sea, much closer to the equator than it is now. Similar in size to a Eurasian magpie, with the largest individuals possibly attaining the size of a raven, the largest species of Archaeopteryx could grow to about in length. Despite their small size, broad wings, and inferred ability to fly or glide, Archaeopteryx had more in common with other small Mesozoic dinosaurs than with modern birds. In particular, they shared the following features with the dromaeosaurids and troodontids: jaws with sharp teeth, three fingers with claws, a long bony tail, hyperextensible second toes ("killing claw"), feathers (which also suggest warm-bloodedness), and various features of the skeleton.
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On 5 October 2007, researchers from the University of Oxford presented data acquired by mounting tiny video cameras on the tails of New Caledonian crows. They pluck, smooth, and bend twigs and grass stems to procure a variety of foodstuffs.Schmid, Randolph E. (5 October 2007) , Associated Press via Discovery ChannelSee also the video "Crow bars", from the BBC's The Life of Birds Crows in Queensland have learned how to eat the toxic cane toad by flipping the cane toad on its back and violently stabbing the throat where the skin is thinner, allowing the crow to access the nontoxic innards; their long beaks ensure that all of the innards can be removed. The western jackdaw and the Eurasian magpie have been found to have a nidopallium about the same relative size as the functionally equivalent neocortex in chimpanzees and humans, and significantly larger than is found in the gibbons.
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Meanwhile, the fossil record of North American magpies has a specimen – UCMP 43386, a left tarsometatarsus from Palo Duro Falls (Randall County, Texas) – which is probably from the Early Pleistocene Irvingtonian age, around 2–1 Ma. It shows the distinct features of a black-billed magpie (P. (p.) hudsonia), though it might be from a common ancestor of black- and yellow-billed magpies. This was not used to calibrate the molecular clock analysis, but accounting for the phylogenetic hypothesis it appears more likely that the Korean magpie's ancestors diverged from other Pica in the Early Pliocene already, perhaps 5–4.5 Ma, antedating the uplift of the Sierra Nevada which cut off most gene flow between the two North American populations. Residual gene flow between them (and between the two (or more?) Eurasian magpie lineages) until the onset of the Quaternary glaciation some 2.6–2 Ma may also have skewed the molecular clock results.
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