Black-billed Magpie

The Black-billed Magpie is a familiar bird of open country across western North America, from ranchland and river bottoms to suburban parks. Its striking black-and-white pattern combined with an extremely long, graduated tail makes it one of the continent's most easily recognized corvids.

Until recently, this species and the Eurasian Magpie were treated as a single species, and the two remain very similar in structure and plumage, differing mainly in subtle proportions and range.

• Body contour feathers are solid black on the head, throat, and back, sharply set off by pure white feathers on the belly and scapular shoulder patch
• Wing feathers show black bases that flash brilliant iridescent blue-green in good light, a metallic sheen produced by feather microstructure rather than pigment
• Tail feathers are exceptionally long and strongly graduated, glossy black with green-to-bronze iridescence and a slight downward curve near the tip
• The white shoulder and belly feathers have a soft, slightly looser texture compared to the sleek black feathers elsewhere

Sexes look alike, though males average slightly larger with a marginally longer tail. Juveniles resemble adults but show a shorter tail and duller, less iridescent black feathering that brightens with the first complete molt. Adults undergo one full molt annually after breeding, regrowing the long tail feathers over several weeks.

• Resident across much of the interior western United States and western Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast ranges
• Favors open habitats with scattered trees, including ranchland, river valleys, sagebrush country, and increasingly suburban areas
• Largely non-migratory, with local movements tied to food availability rather than long-distance migration

Black-billed Magpies are gregarious and vocal, often gathering in loose flocks to feed and roost, and they are known for their harsh, chattering calls. Diet is broad and opportunistic, including insects, small animals, carrion, and grain. Nests are large domed structures of sticks built in trees, often reused or refurbished across years, and pairs may remain together on the same territory for multiple seasons.