Black-billed Magpie

Somehow they always know when I am trying to take their picture and they fly away. This Black-billed Magpie photo is courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

​Pica hudsonia
 
I figured I would start with one of the most ubiquitous birds where I am currently living in Colorado Springs, the Black-billed Magpie. This is not to be confused with the Yellow-billed Magpies I would see when I lived near Sacramento in California.

Magpies are Corvids, which means they are related to Crows, Ravens, and Jays. Corvids are known for being super smart and Magpies are no exception. My most common interaction with them is at my mother’s chicken coop. They know there is food in there and the Magpies are working out a way to get it. They are also commonly found in urban areas, with trash cans being a popular food-gathering spot. Utilizing humans for food is not a new occurrence. According to All About Birds, Magpies would follow Plains Tribes hunting parties and eat their leftovers and they even entered the tents of Lewis and Clark looking for food!
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Their nature has led them to get a bit of a bad reputation. I remember telling someone that I enjoyed watching them and the response was less than supportive. But then again, a lot of people don’t like Corvids in general because they will pull trash out of a can looking for food and can make messes. Is it their fault they are intelligent enough to dig through our waste for a tasty morsel? If you don’t like it, secure your trashcan. Otherwise, be willing to share.
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Magpies have easily adapted to the presence of humans, which is why they are so successful. Other bird species have had a more difficult time with human habitation and their numbers are suffering for it.
Aside from being fun to watch their rather cheeky behavior, they are also beautiful birds! Their black/blue wing feathers iridesce in the sunlight! They can be loud and chattery, but who of us aren’t when we get together with friends?

If you are looking to see the Black-billed Magpie, they have a wide range from southern Alaska, east into Canada, and south into the United States east of the Great Lakes. As I mentioned earlier, they aren’t picky about habitat, or food, for that matter.

Here’s hoping to inspire a little more appreciation for these clever birds!

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