Black-billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
The black-billed magpie is an unmistakable bird within its range. It is a medium-sized bird that measures 45–60 cm (18–24 in) from tip to tail. It is largely black, with white scapulars, belly, and primaries, and the wings and tail are an iridescent blue-green. The tail is made up of long, layered feathers, the middle pair of which extend further than the rest. The beak is uniformly black, oblong, and weakly curved toward the tip. Adults also have black irises. Voice: The vocalizations of the black-billed magpie consist of a number of calls variously described as tweets, coos, purrs, shrills and squawks, but the most common is an alarm call, called a chatter, that is described as a ka-ka-ka-ka, sometimes preceded with a skah-skah. This call is very different from that of the Eurasian magpie, but is similar to that of the yellow-billed magpie.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Eurasian Magpie
Pica pica
The adult male of the nominate subspecies, P. p. pica, is 44–46 cm (17–18 in) in length, more than half of which is the tail. Its wingspan is 52–62 cm (20–24 in). The head, neck, breast and vent are glossy black with a metallic green and violet sheen; the belly and scapulars (shoulder feathers) are pure white; the wings are black glossed with green or purple, and the primaries have white inner webs, conspicuous when the wing is open. The graduated tail is black, glossed with green and reddish purple. The legs and bill are black; the iris is dark brown.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black-billed Magpie and Eurasian Magpie.