magpie

1. any of various passerine birds of the genus Pica, esp P. pica, having a black-and-white plumage, long tail, and a chattering call: family Corvidae (crows, etc.)

2. any of various similar birds of the Australian family Cracticidae

3. any of various other similar or related birds

4. a variety of domestic fancy pigeon typically having black-and-white markings

a. the outmost ring but one on a target

b. a shot that hits this ring

Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Magpie

(Pica pica), a bird of the family Corvidae of the order Passeriformes. The magpie is 45–48 cm long and attains a weight of 250 g. The plumage is white and black, the latter with a strong green or dark blue gloss. The magpie is widely distributed in the Palearctic and northwestern Nearctic. In the USSR it is absent only in desert and tundra regions and in Yakutia and Magadan Oblast. The domed nest is placed in a tree or bush. A clutch contains four to six eggs; the incubation period is 17 days. The magpie wanders widely in winter. The diet consists of insects, small vertebrates, seeds, and carrion. A beneficial species, the magpie consumes injurious insects; on occasion, however, it robs the nests of small birds. Several long-tailed corvids of South Asia are also called magpies: for example, the green magpie (Cissa chinensis), the yellow-billed blue magpie (Urocissa flavirostris), and the azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyana).

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References in periodicals archive

However, the same reason for the low ranking of the Australian magpie cannot be given for this species.

However, the support for the Australian magpie is low compared to the rest.

Support for the common species, Australian magpie and the kookaburra, decreased by 3%.

How knowledge affects payment to conserve an endangered bird

The two ground foraging birds, Australian Magpie and Eastern Rosella, were seen only twice in the trees, while 94 Rainbow Lorikeets were seen, most commonly in C.

Bird species observed in three eucalypt species on Deakin Burwood campus Common name Scientific name Guild Rainbow Lorikeet Trichoglossus haematodus Nectarivore Noisy Miner Manorina melanocephala Nectarivore/insectivore Australian Magpie Cracticus tibicen Ground insectivore Eastern Rosella Platycercus eximius Ground granivore Number of birds observed/tree species Common name Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Corymbia muelleriana sideroxylon maculata Rainbow Lorikeet 0 30 64 Noisy Miner 6 13 14 Australian Magpie 1 1 0 Eastern Rosella 0 2 0

Visitation by common native birds to eucalypts on Deakin University Burwood Campus, Victoria

Joining the UniSA Citizen Science Network acted as a catalyst to specifically focus on Australian magpies.

Australian Magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen) are South Australia's State Government emblem.

"It felt like real science!" How Operation Magpie enriched my classroom