European Magpie
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| Pica pica Linnaeus, (1758) |
The European Magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout Europe, much of Asia, and northwest Africa. It is one of several birds in the crow family named as magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies.
In Europe, "Magpie" is often used by people who speak the English language as a synonym for the European Magpie; it is the only magpie in Europe outside the Iberian Peninsula.
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[edit] Description and systematics
The European Magpie is 40–51 cm in length. Its head, neck and breast are glossy black with a metallic green and violet sheen; the belly and scapulars (shoulder feathers) are pure white; the wings are black glossed with green or purple, and the primaries have white inner webs, conspicuous when the wing is open. The graduated tail is black, shot with bronze-green and other iridescent colours. The legs and bill are black.
The young resemble the adults, but are at first without much of the gloss on the sooty plumage. The male is slightly larger than the female.
There are numerous subspecies. The northwest African race differs in having a patch of bare skin around the eye and no white patch on the rump, and the southwest Arabian race differs in being smaller, with dull black plumage lacking iridescent tones, and minimal white in the wings. The Siberian races have more extensive white in the wings, and brilliant green iridescence; Korean birds have a purple gloss instead and relatively longer wings and a shorter tail.
Analysis of mtDNA sequences (Lee et al., 2003) has indicated that the Korean race, P. pica sericea, is very distinct from the other Eurasian forms, and may be a separate species. The North American Black-billed Magpie which looks almost identical to the Eurasian form and was previously considered conspecific is genetically closer to the Yellow-billed Magpie. The main Eurasian lineages of this astoundingly variable species have not been sufficiently sampled to clarify the status of such forms as the northwest African race P. p. mauretanica and the southwest Arabian race P. p. asirensis, which could also be distinct species.
A larger palaeosubspecies of the European Magpie was described as Pica pica major.
[edit] Ecology and behavior
The strikingly pied plumage and long (20-30cm), graduated tail, as well as its loud, harsh chatter, prevent confusion with any other species. In the open country the Magpie commands attention as one, two, three or more birds, with rapidly moving, apparently short wings, fly in succession, chattering as they pass. When the bird alights the long tail is at once elevated and is carefully carried clear of the ground.
Like other corvids, such as crows, the Magpie's usual gait is a walk, but when attracted by food or any special object it hops quickly sideways with wings just open. The fondness of all its family for bright objects is well known.
No animal food comes amiss to the Magpie; young birds and eggs, small mammals and insects are devoured, but acorns, grain and other vegetable substances are not despised.
In country areas the bird, owing to persecution, is often shy, but in suburban areas it is common. Indeed, where it is not molested it courts rather than avoids the vicinity of man. Also, it is known to team up in bands of two or more to "tease" cats, i.e. launch feigned attacks on the animals, perhaps as a general reaction against the cat as predator and egg thief.
In winter the Magpie becomes gregarious, wandering and feeding in small parties or flocks, and gathering at a common rendezvous to roost at night. Early in the year large numbers collect together for mating. Charles Darwin refers to these congregations as "marriage meetings".
[edit] Reproduction
In the courtship display, the males rapidly raise and depress their head feathers, uplift, open and close their tails like fans, and call in soft tones quite distinct from their usual chatter. In the display the loose feathers of the flanks are brought over and the primaries, and the patch on the shoulders is spread so as to make the white conspicuous, presumably to attract the female eye. Short buoyant flights and chases are part of the courtship.
Tall trees are selected by the Magpie for its bulky nest; it is firmly attached to a central fork in the upper branches. The framework of the sticks is cemented with earth and clay. and a lining of the same material is covered with fine roots; above is a stout, though loosely, built dome of prickly branches with one well-concealed entrance. When the leaves fall these huge nests are plainly visible. Where trees are scarce, and even in well-wooded country, nests are at times built in bushes and hedgerows.
The eggs, small for the size of the bird, number from five to eight, and as many as ten are recorded; they show much variation in ground and marking, but a usual type is blue-green with close specks and spots of brown and grey. They are laid in April, and only one brood is reared unless disaster overtakes the first clutch.
[edit] Folklore
- The magpie is common in European folklore. Generally speaking, the bird is associated with unhappiness and trouble. This may be because of its well known tendency to "steal" shiny objects, as well as its harsh, chittering call.
- An old English folk tale states that when Jesus was crucified on the cross, all of the world's birds wept and sang to comfort him in his agony. The only exception was the magpie, and for this, it is forever cursed.
- In Scottish folklore, (in a story possibly related to the above) magpies were long reviled for allegedly carrying a drop of Satan's blood under their tongues.
- In both Italian and French folklore, magpies' penchant for picking up shiny items is thought to be particularly directed towards precious ones. Rossini's opera La gazza ladra and Tintin comic Les Bijoux de la Castafiore are based on this theme.
- In Britain and Ireland a widespread (mainly found in England and Scotland and less common in Wales and Northern Ireland) traditional rhyme records the myth (it is not clear whether it has been seriously believed) that seeing magpies predicts the future, depending on how many are seen. There are many regional variations on the rhyme, which means that it is impossible to give a definitive version.
The rhyme runs:
- One for anger
- Two for mirth
- Three for a wedding
- Four for a birth
- Five for rich
- Six for poor
- Seven for a witch
- I can tell you no more.
Alternate versions of this counting rhyme include:
- 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.
(This particular version is used in the Counting Crows song "A Murder of One.")
or
- One for sorrow
- Two for mirth
- Three for a funeral
- Four for a birth
- Five for heaven
- Six for hell
- Seven's the Devil his own sel'
Sometimes (but rarely), three extra lines are added:
- Eight for a wish
- Nine for a kiss
- Ten for a bird that you won't want to miss.
or
- Eight for a wish
- Nine for a kiss
- Ten for a time of Joyous Bliss
as the former is believed to have been written especially for the television show's credits.
According to Terry Pratchett:
There are many rhymes about magpies, but none of them are very reliable, because they are not the ones the magpies know.
-from Carpe Jugulum
- A related superstition is that one should make sure to greet magpies - perhaps saying "Hello, Mr Magpie" - when encountering lone birds; this possibly stems from the unlucky connotations attributed by the rhymes to seeing merely one magpie. To cancel out this bad luck, and with relation to the second line of the verse accounting for joy or mirth, lone magpies are often greeted "Hello Mr Magpie, how is your wife/where is your wife?" Another superstition relating to magpies' supposed bad luck is that upon seeing a lone magpie one should repeat the words "I defy thee" seven times. Another superstition is that on seeing a lone magpie one should pinch the person they are walking with, if they are alone they are to pinch themselves. Another is that if a lone Magpie is seen, one should salute it to show you respect it. This formality can be forgone if the Magpie looks directly in your eyes, which shows it respects you.
- In Chinese culture, the magpie is one of the most popular birds, and is seen as the messenger of good news and fortune. In fact, its name in Chinese means "bird of joy".
- Magpies also feature in the Chinese folktale of "The Story of Cowherd and Weaver Girl" (among others), where they form a bridge for the separated lovers every year on the day of Qixi.
- A British children's TV show called Magpie featured a theme song based on the "one for sorrow" rhyme, and featured a large cartoon Magpie as its mascot or logo.
- Two English football clubs, Notts County and Newcastle United are nicknamed "The Magpies" due to their black and white striped playing kits. Notts County's club crest depicts a football on which perch two magpies.
- The Mountain Goats have a song called "Magpie" on the album "The Sunset Tree."
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Pica pica. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- Lee, Sang-im; Parr, Cynthia S.; Hwang, Youna; Mindell, David P. & Choea, Jae C. (2003): Phylogeny of magpies (genus Pica) inferred from mtDNA data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 29: 250-257. DOI:10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00096-4 PDF fulltext
- Madge, Steve & Burn, Hilary (1994): Crows and jays: a guide to the crows, jays and magpies of the world A&C Black, London. ISBN 0-7136-3999-7
[edit] External links
- European Magpie videos on the Internet Bird Collection
- Avibase
