True magpies are birds of various species of the family Corvidae. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one of the few nonmammalian species able to recognize itself in a mirror test. Magpies have shown the ability to make and use tools, imitate human speech, grieve, play games, and work in teams. They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds. In addition to other members of the genus Pica, corvids considered magpies are in the genera Cissa, Urocissa, and Cyanopica. Magpies of the genus Pica are generally found in temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and western North America, with populations also present in Tibet and high-elevation areas of Kashmir. Magpies of the genus Cyanopica are found in East Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. The birds called magpies in Australia are, however, not closely related to the magpies in the rest of the world, only being part of the same clade (Corvides).
Etymology The name comes from a combination of "mag" and "pie". "Mag" comes from a shortening of the French name "Margot" or "Margaret", which, in the late 14th century, was used for women who chattered idly; this could refer to the chattering sound magpies make. "Pie" could either originate from piebald, or particoloured, used for the white patches found on magpies, or *(s)peik; an Indo-European word itself derived from pie, meaning sharp or pointed. The term "pica" for the human disorder involving a compulsive desire to eat items that are not food is borrowed from the Latin name of the magpie, pica, for its reputed tendency to feed on miscellaneous things.
Systematics and species According to some studies, magpies do not form the monophyletic group they are traditionally believed to be; tails have elongated (or shortened) independently in multiple lineages of corvid birds. Among the traditional magpies, two distinct lineages apparently exist. One consists of Holarctic species with black and white colouration, and is probably closely related to crows and Eurasian jays. The other contains several species from South to East Asia with vivid colouration, which is predominantly green or blue. The azure-winged magpie and the Iberian magpie, formerly thought to constitute a single species with a most peculiar distribution, have been shown to be two distinct species, and are classified as the genus Cyanopica. Other research has cast doubt on the taxonomy of the Pica magpies, since P. hudsonia and P. nuttalli may not be different species, whereas the Korean race of P. pica is genetically very distinct from the other Eurasian (as well as the North American) forms. Either the North American, Korean, and remaining Eurasian forms are accepted as three or four separate species, or else only a single species, Pica pica, exists. Oriental (blue and green) magpies
Subfamily Cissinae Genus Urocissa Taiwan blue magpie, Urocissa caerulea Red-billed blue magpie, Urocissa erythroryncha Yellow-billed blue magpie, Urocissa flavirostris White-winged magpie, Urocissa whiteheadi Sri Lanka blue magpie, Urocissa ornata Genus Cissa Common green magpie, Cissa chinensis Indochinese green magpie, Cissa hypoleuca Javan green magpie, Cissa thalassina Bornean green magpie, Cissa jefferyi Azure-winged magpies
Genus Cyanopica Azure-winged magpie, Cyanopica cyanus Iberian magpie, Cyanopica cooki Holarctic (black-and-white) magpies
Genus Pica Eurasian magpie, Pica pica Black-billed magpie, Pica hudsonia (may be conspecific with P. pica) Yellow-billed magpie, Pica nuttalli (may be conspecific with P. (pica) hudsonia) Asir magpie, Pica asirensis (may be conspecific with P. pica) Maghreb magpie, Pica mauritanica (may be conspecific with P. pica) Oriental magpie, Pica serica (may be conspecific with P. pica) Black-rumped magpie. Pica bottanensis (may be conspecific with P. pica)
False magpies The black magpies, Platysmurus, are treepies; they are neither magpies, nor as was long believed, jays. Treepies are a distinct group of corvids externally similar to magpies. The Australian magpie, Gymnorhina tibicen, is conspicuously "pied", with black and white plumage reminiscent of an Eurasian magpie. It is a member of the family Artamidae, closely related to butcherbirds and is not a corvid. The magpie-robins, members of the genus Copsychus, have a similar "pied" appearance, but they are Old World flycatchers, unrelated to the corvids.
Human interactions
Cultural references
Americas The magpie was named the official bird of the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in May 2025.
Asia In East Asian cultures, the magpie is a very popular bird and is a symbol of good luck and fortune. The magpie is a common subject in Chinese paintings. It is also often found in traditional Chinese poetry and couplets. In addition, in Chinese folklore, all the magpies of the Qixi Festival every year will fly to the Milky Way and form a bridge, where the separated Cowherd and Weaver Girl will meet. The Milky Way is like a river, and the Cowherd and Weaver Girl refer to the famous α-Aquilae and α-Lyrae of modern Astronomy, respectively. For this reason, the magpie bridge has come to symbolize a relationship between men and women. Magpies have an important place in the birth myth of Ai Xinjue Luo Bukuri Yushun, the ancestor of the Qing dynasty. The magpie is a national bird of Korea and a symbol of its capital Seoul. Magpies are the National bird of Bangladesh.
Europe In European culture, the magpie is reputed to collect shiny objects such as wedding rings and other valuables, a well known example being Rossini's opera La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie). A 2014 study conducted by Exeter University found that Eurasian magpies express neophobia when presented with unfamiliar objects, and were less likely to approach or interact with the shiny objects—metal screws, foil rings and aluminium foil—used in the experiments. However, magpies are naturally curious like other members of the corvid family, and may collect shiny objects, but do not favour shiny objects over dull ones. In England, magpies were traditionally viewed as omens either of fortune or misfortune, depending upon the number of birds one saw. An English nursery rhyme known as "One for Sorrow" recounts the tradition:
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