 
The magpie is a common name for about 20 species of birds in the crow family, but only the black-billed magpie is found in Canada, from Manitoba all the way west to the Yukon. The sounds made by the black-billed magpie consist of a number of calls, described as tweets, coos, purrs, shrills and squawks, but the most common is a very distinctive alarm call, called a chatter. These birds have also been known to imitate human speech. Magpies have heavy bills and short, rounded wings, with white markings when extended. Their long tails can make up over half their total length of about 50 cm. Magpies are black with shiny metallic blue-green tones on their wings and tail, and contrasting white feathers at the base of their wings and underparts. 
The black-billed magpie used to be more widespread in Canada, but began to disappear when the large herds of bison disappeared. Bison carrion was an important food source, and bison also carry ticks, which magpies consumed while sitting on their backs. The bird has since made a comeback, however, because of its increasingly close association with humans. These birds can be found in farmlands and suburban areas, often coming into contact with people. The species frequently walks or hops on the ground, where it obtains food items such as seeds, beetles, grasshoppers, worms, and small rodents. It is also fond of garbage and food from pets that are fed outside. In the wild, they often follow large predators, such as wolves, to scavenge or steal from their kills. The black-billed magpie is one of the few North American birds that build a domed nest, which is made up of small sticks and mud, and sits near the top of trees. The female will lay about six eggs; incubation (by the female only) lasts about three weeks. Babies remain in the nest for up to three more weeks, and are fed animal matter almost exclusively.. Some magpie mating pairs remain together for life. 
Black-billed magpies are also known to make food caches in the ground. The bird pushes or hammers its bill into the ground or snow, making a small hole where it deposits food. Cache robbing by other magpies is common, so a magpie will often make one or more false caches before a real one is made. The final cache is covered with grass and twigs. The bird then cocks its head and stares at the cache, possibly to commit the site to memory. If a magpie's nest is disturbed, it will defend it aggressively. Biologists who have climbed nest trees to measure magpie eggs have reported that the parents recognized them personally on subsequent days, and started to attack them on sight. Many bird lovers don't like magpies because of their reputation for stealing eggs, but in fact eggs make up only a small proportion of what magpies eat, and songbird populations actually are not affected by the presence of magpies. |