European Magpie (Pica pica)

Scientific name: Pica pica (Linnaeus, 1758)
Common name: European Magpie
French name: Pie bavarde
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Size: 45 à 60 cm, 145 à 210g.
Habitat: Cultivated areas, meadows and open woodlands, parks and gardens including inside towns.
Food: Omnivorous: Insects, seeds, berries, eggs, small birds and small et mammals.
Nesting: The Magpie builds its nest in a tree or in a bush with mud and twigs. It is protected inside a big structure made up of small branches. There is one brood per year. The female lays 4 to 9 eggs in April or May.
Migration: Resident.
Geographic area: Europe, Asia, North Africa and temperate zone of North America.

You can easily identify the European Magpie with its black and white plumage and its long tail.
The top of the body, the head and the breast are black.
The bottom and the sides are white.
the black areas show metallic sheen in the sunshine.
The bill and the legs are black.
The Magpie is very noisy with a kind of machine-gun call.

European Magpie (Pica pica) - Yvelines, France - June 12th 2006

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The number of Magpies is continuously increasing in my home's neighbourhood.
Hasn't this proliferation a negative impact on other species?

European Magpie (Pica pica) - Yvelines, France - August 2nd 2007

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I was driving my car, back from a photo session near the ponds, when this European Magpie stood in front of me for the picture. I have shot this first picture thru the car window.
I have not been able to shoot other ones as it flew away as soon as I began to lower the window.

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André Bon November 2008