Eurasian Magpie
Pica pica
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- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCorvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)
- GenusPica (True Magpies)
- SpeciesPica pica (Eurasian Magpie)
About the Eurasian Magpie
The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) that are designated as magpies, and it belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. In Europe, the term "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the Eurasian magpie; the only other species of magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is restricted to the Iberian Peninsula. Despite sharing a name and similar colouration, they are not closely related to the Australian magpie, which is an artamid, only sharing the same clade (Corvides).
The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as the brains of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans. It is one of the few bird species known to pass the mirror test.
The magpie was first described and illustrated by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in his Historiae animalium of 1555. In 1758, Linnaeus included the species in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Eurasian Magpie in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
LIVEiNaturalistClosest Relatives at Sierra de Guadarrama National Park
Carrion Crow
Corvus corone
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Iberian Magpie
Cyanopica cooki
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandarius
Red-billed Chough
Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Eurasian Blackbird
Turdus merula
Great Tit
Parus major
European Robin
Erithacus rubecula
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleus
Spotless Starling
Sturnus unicolor
White Wagtail
Motacilla alba
Global Distribution
Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Magpie in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Magpie sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, based on 2,993 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Eurasian Magpie in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park?
March has the highest sighting rate for Eurasian Magpie in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park in our monthly data.