Birds of Ireland: Magpie
The old superstition says that two magpies together are a sign of impending joy.
Magpies are around 42-50cm in length with a wingspan of 56cm. They are a common breeding species found here all year around on farmland, in gardens and in urban and suburban areas.
They are around the size of a rook and both sexes appear similar with black legs and beak.
Adult magpies have glossy black-and-white bodies and wings with a long wedge-shaped tail. They have a blue-green sheen on their back and tail feathers. They will walk or hop along the ground, sometimes with their tail raised.
Magpies can look tailless during moult or if after escaping an attack by a predator such as a cat.
Juvenile and immature magpies have shorter tails and some white around the eye.
In flight a magpie's long tail, and black-and-white primaries are visible as are the white 'braces' on their back.
A magpie's call is a harsh mechanical . Their song is more musical with high squeaks. They are noisy when alarmed β such when a cat or bird of prey is nearby.
: Seven members of the crow family are regularly found in Ireland, are represented in almost every habitat, and are probably the bird group most familiar to people here.
All our crows are non-migratory and rarely travel far from where they were born.
Some are scavengers and opportunistic hunters and will eat a wide range of food, from insects and seeds to carrion and human food waste. Others are more specialised such as the jay's fondness for acorns and chough's preference for coastal grasslands.
- Jim Wilson is a wildlife writer, broadcaster, tour leader, and former chairman of BirdWatch Ireland. He has been involved in the study and conservation of birds in Ireland for more than 45 years, contributing to several major surveys and international projects.
- Mark Carmody is an award-winning wildlife photographer, has a PhD in biochemistry and works as a European patent attorney.
