The Magpie (Pica pica) is a common bird of the crow family, and almost omnivorous in diet, and highly opportunistic. Magpies earned a poor reputation with game keepers due to their fondness for the eggs and young of the larger birds and also grain, but they benefit farmers by eating mice, rats, voles, snails and slugs. The nest is made of thorny sticks, mingled with roots and turf, and lined with clay, typically built high in a tall tree. Both the male and female Magpie are black and white in colour, identical in appearance though sometimes the male may be slightly larger than the female. From six to nine eggs are laid at a time. Magpies are common in England and Wales. Formerly, magpies were also known as Margaret. Research Magpie
Abbreviations
Nature
Research Magpie