Black-billed Magpie

This feather represents the classic 'magpie flash' seen in flight. The Black-billed Magpie is a large, long-tailed songbird with bold black-and-white plumage and iridescent green-blue highlights. It is known for its intelligence and social nature.

Striking bicolored pattern: the distal tip and the outer (leading) vane are dark iridescent black/brown, while a large, elongated white patch occupies the inner (trailing) vane. The black areas show subtle blue-green iridescence in direct light.

Tightly interlocked pennaceous barbs on the distal two-thirds of the vane; plumulaceous (downy) structure at the base near the calamus.

Smooth and stiff distal vane with a slightly glossy finish on the dark portions; very soft and downy texture at the proximal base.

Sharp contrast between the snowy white inner vane and the deep black outer vane and tip; rounded tip; distinctive corvid curvature.

Open woodlands, meadows, riparian thickets, and frequently urban areas like parks, playgrounds, and agricultural fields.

Western North America, ranging from coastal Alaska down through the Rocky Mountain states to the Great Plains; year-round resident in Central Oregon (Bend).

Omnivorous scavenger and predator; plays a role in pest control by eating insects and ticks off livestock, but also acts as a nest predator of smaller birds.

California Scrub-Jay (lacks the large white wing patch), American Crow (entirely black), Eurasian Magpie (nearly identical but geographically separated).

Magpies are among the most intelligent animals in the world; they are one of the few non-mammal species capable of recognizing themselves in a mirror.

Good condition with minor wear at the tip. The presence of downy fluff at the base suggests a natural molt rather than a forced removal.

In bend OR found near a playground