Pica nuttallii
The Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttallii) is a striking, medium-sized passerine, easily identified by its glossy black and crisp white plumage, remarkably long graduated tail, and distinctive bright yellow bill and matching yellow eye-ring. Measuring approximately 43-54 cm (17-21 inches) in length, with a wingspan of about 61 cm (24 inches) and weighing 150-180g (5.3-6.3 oz), its overall black areas shimmer with iridescent blues and greens in good light. Taxonomically, it belongs to the Corvi...
Primarily found in open oak woodlands, savannas, and grasslands with scattered trees, especially California oak species. They typically inhabit low to moderate elevations, generally below 1,000 meters.
Omnivorous, feeding primarily on insects, acorns, seeds, fruits, carrion, and occasionally small vertebrates and eggs. They primarily forage on the ground, probing and gleaning.
Yellow-billed Magpies are highly social and intelligent diurnal birds. Outside the breeding season, they gather in large communal roosts, sometimes numbering in the hundreds, providing safety in numbers. They are opportunistic ground gleaners, meticulously searching for food and often caching exc...
The Yellow-billed Magpie is a year-round resident endemic exclusively to California, USA. Its core breeding and wintering range encompasses the Central Valley, stretching from Shasta County south to Kern County, and extends into the adjacent inner Coast Ranges and the foothills of the Sierra Neva...
Least Concern
- The Yellow-billed Magpie is the only magpie species in the world with a bright yellow bill. - It is entirely endemic to California, never naturally found elsewhere. - These highly intelligent birds are among the few non-mammalian species believed to exhibit mirror self-recognition. - West Nile ...