Magpie

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Magpie in the UK

Magpie is a common and widespread resident. The UK holds about 610,000 breeding territories. Numbers roughly doubled between 1967 and the late 1980s, helped by a spread into towns and suburbs, and have been stable since. It is found across England, Wales and Ireland and in southern and eastern Scotland, but is absent from much of the northern half of Scotland and the Scottish islands. Densities are highest in urban areas from south-east England through the Midlands to Lancashire and West Yorkshire. Green-listed.

Where and when to see a Magpie

Almost anywhere with trees and open ground: gardens, parks, playing fields, farmland, hedgerows, road verges and woodland edges. You can see one on any day of the year. They are most obvious in late winter, when groups gather noisily in treetops and pairs start building. Look for the nest in bare trees from February: a large ball of sticks with a roof. Non-breeding birds roost together in winter, sometimes in dozens.

Habitat, diet and field notes

Habitat: Urban, farmland.
Diet: Omnivore: anything.
Field note: Loud and chatty.

How to identify a Magpie

Unmistakable. A crow relative, 44 to 46 cm long, with half of that a long, wedge-shaped tail. It is black with a white belly and white shoulder patches. In good light the wings shine blue and purple and the tail green. In flight the short, rounded wings flash white at the tips and the tail trails behind. Young birds in summer have shorter tails and less gloss. It walks with a swagger and hops sideways when wary.

Call and song

A loud, harsh, rattling chatter, "chak-chak-chak-chak", like a football rattle or a shaken box of matches. It is given in alarm and when mobbing cats or birds of prey. Pairs also make softer chattering notes at the nest. Heard something you cannot place? Bird Hear identifies UK birds from a 10 second recording, free in your browser.

Confusion species

• Jay: Jay is the other boldly marked crow in gardens but is pinkish-brown with a blue wing patch, a white rump and a much shorter tail.

Related guide Bird migration in Britain.

Conservation status and Birdedex points

In the Birdedex the Magpie is a Common tier bird, worth +1 point when you log one. It is not on the Red or Amber lists in Birds of Conservation Concern 5.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Barn SwallowCommon · Farmland (summer)
• Canada GooseCommon · Lakes
• Collared DoveCommon · Gardens
• Common BuzzardCommon · Farmland
• Common LinnetCommon · Heaths
• Eurasian SkylarkCommon · Open farmland

Magpie: quick answers

What does a Magpie eat?

Nearly anything. Beetles, worms and other invertebrates make up most of the diet in summer, with grain, berries, carrion and scraps in winter. Magpies take eggs and chicks of small birds in spring, but long-term UK monitoring has not shown that this lowers songbird populations.

What habitat does Magpie live in?

It needs trees or tall bushes for the nest and short grass or bare ground for feeding. Suburbs offer both, plus food waste, which is why town densities are now higher than on most farmland. It avoids dense forest and treeless upland.

Is the Magpie rare in the UK?

No. It is one of the most familiar British birds and its population is about twice what it was in the 1960s. The only large gap is the Scottish Highlands and islands, where a Magpie is a notable local record.

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