Magpie - Definition and Overview

The magpies are medium to large, often colorful and noisy passerine birds in the crow family, Corvidae. They are closely allied to the jays and treepies. The names 'jay', 'treepie' and 'magpie' are to a certain extent interchangeable, not reflecting any genuine genetic difference between the groups.

Recent research has cast doubt on the taxonomy of the Pica magpies, since it appears that P. hudsonia and P. nuttalli may not be different species, whereas the Korean race of P. pica is genetically very distinct from the other Eurasian forms.

Species

Genus Pica

• European Magpie Pica pica
• American Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia
• Yellow-billed Magpie Pica nuttalli

Genus Urocissa

• Formosan Blue Magpie Urocissa caerulea
• Red-billed Blue Magpie, Urocissa erythrorhyncha
• Gold-billed Magpie, Urocissa flavirostris
• White-winged Magpie, Urocissa whiteheadi
• Sri Lanka Blue Magpie, Urocissa ornata

Genus Cyanopica

• Azure-winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyana

Genus Cissa

• Green Magpie, Cissa chinensis
• Yellow-breasted Magpie, Cissa hypoleuca
• Short-tailed Magpie, Cissa thalassina

The Black Magpie, Platysmurus leucopterus, despite its name, is a jay.

Other corvids resembling magpies include the treepies, genus Dendrocitta.

Black and white birds unrelated to the corvids are often named magpies by analogy. These include the Australian Magpie.

See also

European Magpie for magpie folklore