Species guide
Eurasian Magpie: how to recognise it
A bird of Europe and Asia. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Agustín Povedano · CC BY-NC-SA · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Pica pica
- Family
- Crows, Jays, and Magpies
- Size
- About 44–51 cm
- Habitat
- Farmland, parks and towns
- Found in
- Europe and Asia
The key marks
A black-and-white bird with a very long tail that shines blue and green in the sun.
Voice
A harsh, rattling “chak-chak-chak”.
Good to know
It is one of the few animals outside the apes known to recognise itself in a mirror.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in farmland, parks and towns. It is especially common in Greece, Spain, Norway and Sweden. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.