12-10-2021 PIRAEUS, GREECE - EURASIAN MAGPIE (Pica pica)

The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) that are designated as magpies, and it belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. In Europe, the term "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the Eurasian magpie: the only other species of magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is restricted to the Iberian Peninsula. Despite sharing a name and similar colouration, they are not closely related to the Australian magpie, which is an artamid.

The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as the brains of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans. It is one of the few bird species known to pass the mirror test.

The range of the magpie extends across temperate Eurasia from Portugal, Spain and Ireland in the west to the Kamchatka Peninsula.

Magpies prefer open countryside with scattered trees and magpies are normally absent from treeless areas and dense forests. They sometimes breed at high densities in suburban areas such as parks and gardens. They can often be found close to city centres. In Sweden, magpies are exclusively associated with human settlements. It is extremely rare to find a magpie more than a few hundred metres from a human dwelling. Based on archaeological finds, it has been suggested that magpies became scavengers around human communities perhaps as early as during the Scandinavian Bronze Age, but certainly during the Scandinavian Iron Age.

Magpies are usually sedentary and tend to stay close to their nesting territories in winter. However, those living near the northernmost limits of their range, in Sweden, Finland, and Russia, may move south in harsh weather conditions.