Eurasian magpie

Scientific name: Pica pica

How weight is recorded: Whole weight

Field notes

Appearance

Distinctive black and white plumage with iridescent blue-green sheen on wings and tail; black head, breast, and back contrast sharply with white belly and shoulder patches. Long graduated tail comprises half the bird's total length; no obvious sexual dimorphism in plumage.

Size and weight

Body length 40–51 cm (including long tail); weight 160–250 g, males typically 10–15% heavier than females.

Habitat

Eurasian magpies inhabit open and semi-open landscapes including farmland, grassland, scrubland, woodland edges, and parks. They favour areas with scattered trees and hedgerows from sea level to 2,000 m elevation.

Distribution

Widespread across Europe, North Africa, and Asia from Atlantic coast to Japan; absent from treeless tundra and dense boreal forest. Populations are sedentary or partially migratory depending on latitude and food availability.

Diet

Omnivorous, feeding on insects, small vertebrates, carrion, eggs, young birds, berries, seeds, and human food scraps; diet shifts seasonally toward plant matter in autumn and winter.

Behaviour

Diurnal and highly social, often seen singly or in small flocks; active year-round with no hibernation or long-distance migration. Noisy, vocal birds with loud alarm calls; pairs may remain together outside breeding season and roost communally in winter.

Hunting tips

Look for tracks in soft ground (four toes forward, one back, prints ~4 cm) and white-streaked droppings near roost sites. Approach open country by using available cover (hedges, ditches, woodland fringes) during low-light periods when birds are most active on the ground. Magpies are wary; stalking requires patience, stillness, and awareness of wind direction to avoid alarm calls that alert surrounding birds.

Whole weight

This species is logged by whole weight — the animal weighed entire, as taken.

Where it is hunted

Listed as huntable in 14 countries in Huntify.

Names in other languages

These field notes are general species knowledge, not legal advice. Always check the current seasons, quotas and firearm rules where you hunt.