Species: Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica)
Family: Corvidae
FACT #1 They Are Associated With Good & Evil
Like many animals that are black or white, humans construed that black was a sign of the devil and white was a sign of god. Magpies have black and white feathers, for this reason humans cursed them with myths about their supernatural powers. Here are some examples:
- In Sweden, the Magpie symbolized witchcraft. 1
- In Norway, the Magpie symbolized the underground people.2
- In Scotland, a Magpie near a window foretold death in the household.3
The English even came up with a rhyme about Magpies and how they foretold both fortune and adversity:
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 told4, Eight for a wish, Nine for a kiss, Ten for a surprise you should be careful not to miss, Eleven for health, Twelve for wealth, Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself!5
FACT #2 They Don’t Peck Out Eyes!
Another myth about Magpies is that they peck the eyes out of sheep and other farm animals.
To set the record straight, Magpies don’t peck out animals’ eyes. But they do peck insects off of animals, so in actuality, they are doing more good than they are harm. For centuries, this myth has been used by farmers as an excuse to persecute the poor birds.
FACT #3 They Don’t Like Shiny Objects!
Another myth that exists across much of Europe is that Magpies are thieves and have a penchant for shiny things. It turns out that nothing could be further from the truth. Magpies purposely avoid shiny things, so much so that studies have proved they are neophobic, which means an irrational fear of anything new or unfamiliar!
FACT #4 They Aren’t Just Black & White
Now we have established that Magpies have suffered just because they have black and white feathers, you might be interested to know that they aren’t monotone at all. Look closely at a Common Magpie and you will see they have purplish blue wing feathers and green tails.
FACT #5 They Are Named After An Ancient Eating Disorder
The name Magpie originates from the Latin word Pica, which in medieval times was a human eating disorder. The name Magpie stuck due to the bird’s tendency to eat left-over scraps of food from humans, and perhaps also, regardless of what we throw away, the birds have a very broad diet, including insects, rodents, grain, and berries. They even sometimes eat other birds’ eggs and nestlings!
FACT #6 They Recognize Kind & Unkind Humans
Scientific studies have proven that Magpies can differentiate between kind and unkind humans. Their ability to recall human faces spans months or more. Magpies will actively avoid humans who show them acts of unkindness.6 Conversely, Magpies are known to trust kind humans with introductions to their nestlings.
FACT #7 They Are Super Intelligent Too
Magpie brains are smaller than ours, however weight for weight, the frontal cortex of the Magpie brain is likened to that of humans. Magpies have demonstrated their ability to:
- Use simple tools to solve complex problems.
- Work together in teams.
- Grieve the loss of their fellow Magpies.
- Play Games.
- Imitate human speech.
Ok, so they aren’t about to embark on an industrial revolution anytime soon, but they certainly show they have the equivalent intelligence of other mammals.
FACT #8 Magpies Are Self-Aware
Magpies recognize themselves when they look in a mirror. Scientific experiments have even demonstrated them using mirrors as a tool to help them groom themselves, a bit like us using a mirror to comb our hair in the morning.
FACT #9 Magpies Form A Parliament
Their rather stately appearance and the fact that Magpies tend to make a lot of noise, especially when they form large numbers, earned their group the name “A Parliament of Magpies.”
Magpies undoubtedly make a lot of noise! But one might argue that it is a lot more pleasant than the stupid blusters that often emit out of our parliament.
FACT #10 Males & Females Look Identical (Almost)
Having ascertained that they can tell us apart, it’s a shame we can’t do the same with them. There is often some defining feature on a bird that tells us whether it is a male or female. Sadly, the same isn’t true of Magpies, it’s super difficult to tell them apart.
CITATIONS
- Brewer, E.C. (1970). Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. rev. by Ivor H. Evans (centenary ed.). London: Cassell. p. 674. [Accessed 15/03/2025] ↩︎
- Store Norske Leksikon [Norwegian Encyclopedia] [Accessed 16/03/2025]. ↩︎
- Brewer, E.C. (1970). Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. rev. by Ivor H. Evans (centenary ed.). London: Cassell. p. 674. [Accessed 15/03/2025] ↩︎
- P. Tate (2010). Flights of Fancy: Birds in Myth, Legend, and Superstition. New York: Random House. ISBN 978-1409035695. [Accessed 16/03/2025] ↩︎
- Bird Spot. One For Sorrow [Accessed 16/03/2025] ↩︎
- Lee, W.Y., Lee, Si., Choe, J.C. et al. Wild birds recognize individual humans: experiments on magpies, Pica pica . Anim Cogn 14, 817–825 (2011). [Accessed 15/03/2025] ↩︎
References
- Marzluff, John M., and Tony Angell. In the Company of Crows and Ravens, Yale University Press, 2005. ProQuest Ebook Central. [Accessed 16/05/2025]
