Black-Billed Magpie
Pica hudsonia
Sometimes called the American Magpie, these birds build large domed structures to nest in. Nests are usually maintained by communities of these birds. They range from east of the Sierra-Nevada and Cascade Mountains of northern California, east through Nevada, Utah, Colorada and north through Nebraska and the Dakotas, then north over much of the Canadian prairie provinces and into British Columbia and even to southern Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula.
Often persecuted and unloved by Western man, these birds can be quite wary. The magpie’s impact on other songbirds from nest robbing has not proven unfavorable to the success of these so-called victims.
When bison roamed the American plains, the magpies travelled with them. They exploited the food source when native Americans hunted the great beasts. When the bison were killed off during the 1870s, the magpies switched their association to the cattle that replaced them.
Once these birds were considered a subspecies of magpies found across Europe and Asia. Today, most researchers separate them as their own species, and consider them monotypic (i.e. no subspecies).
My meetings with Black-Billed Magpies have occurred in western Montana, and across the Great Basin from the eastern Sierra-Nevada mountains to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. In 2022, I traveled extensively through western North America, including Canada, where I met more of these birds in central Montana and many places in Canada.
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 14:59 |
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Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X4809-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: I found these birds were nesting on the reserve in a magpie "condo". Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 15:03 |
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Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X4811-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 15:03 |
|
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X4822-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: I found these birds were nesting on the reserve in a magpie "condo". Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 15:03 |
|
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X4830-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: I found these birds were nesting on the reserve in a magpie "condo". Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 15:04 |
|
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X4841-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: Ramp Road Park near the northeastern shore of Bridgeport Reservoir. Bridgeport California, Mono County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:12 9:48 |
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Location:
Bridgeport |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: BlackBilledMagpie_D5X8634-Bridgeport |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: Antelope Island State Park, north of Salt Lake City, Utah. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:11 8:25 |
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Location:
Antelope Island |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X1347-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: Ramp Road Park near the northeastern shore of Bridgeport Reservoir. Bridgeport California, Mono County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:12 9:56 |
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Location:
Bridgeport |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: BlackBilledMagpie_D5X8646-Bridgeport |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: Ramp Road Park near the northeastern shore of Bridgeport Reservoir. Bridgeport California, Mono County. |
Date Taken: 2017:07:12 9:56 |
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Location:
Bridgeport |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: BlackBilledMagpie_D5X8658-Bridgeport |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 14:59 |
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Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X4809-BlackBilledMagpie-1 |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: My second visit to the fields north of Burns Oregon began in the early morning. I tried my best to capture birds like this magpie on the west side of the road, because of the lovely light from the rising sun. |
Date Taken: 2022:04:24 8:29 |
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Location:
North Foley Drive |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: BlackBilledMagpie_8504327-BurnsOregon |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: The woods along the shore of Crystal Lake provided meetings with birds such as Black-Billed Magpies. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:31 15:13 |
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Location:
Crystal Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBilledMagpie_8505271-CrystalLake.GrandePrairie |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: The woods along the shore of Crystal Lake provided meetings with birds such as Black-Billed Magpies. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:31 15:14 |
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Location:
Crystal Lake |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBilledMagpie_8505288-CrystalLake.GrandePrairie |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: I couldn’t bear to leave Whitehorse without trying my luck one last time capturing Arctic Terns. And as long as birds, such as this magpie obliged, I’d take their picture too. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:17 14:57 |
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Location:
Riverdale |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8501838-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: I couldn’t bear to leave Whitehorse without trying my luck one last time capturing Arctic Terns. And as long as birds, such as this magpie obliged, I’d take their picture too. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:17 15:00 |
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Location:
Riverdale |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8501861-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: I couldn’t bear to leave Whitehorse without trying my luck one last time capturing Arctic Terns. And as long as birds, such as this magpie obliged, I’d take their picture too. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:17 15:00 |
|
Location:
Riverdale |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8501882-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: I couldn’t bear to leave Whitehorse without trying my luck one last time capturing Arctic Terns. And as long as birds, such as this magpie obliged, I’d take their picture too. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:17 15:00 |
|
Location:
Riverdale |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8501897-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: The snow and frozen rain made traveling hazardous, so I found a large empty lot to park on the outskirts of Lewistown Montana. I planned to work on my blogs, but when I noticed four species of sparrows and other birds nearby, I had to grab my camera. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:20 12:21 |
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Location:
Stockyards |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8502391-Lewiston.MT_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: After three days of rain, I took the opportunity to walk the river trails on each side of the Yukon River in Whitehorse looking for Arctic Terns. Occasionally I’d meet other birds, like this Black-Billed Magpie. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:15 12:12 |
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Location:
Riverdale |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8509590-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
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Description: My luck with capturing Arctic Terns went well enough, so I tried again the next day. I may never get to see them again. Magpies were there to compete for my attention on the Yukon Rapids in Whitehorse. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:18 10:28 |
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Location:
Riverdale |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: Black-BilledMagpie_8501965-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: After three days of rain, I took the opportunity to walk the river trails on each side of the Yukon River in Whitehorse looking for Arctic Terns. Occasionally I’d meet other birds, like this Black-Billed Magpie. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:15 12:12 |
|
Location:
Riverdale |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: BlackBillMagpie_8509588-Whitehorse.YK_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Black-Billed Magpie(Pica hudsonia) |
|
Description: Lee Metcalf NWR in the Bitterroot Valley near Stevensville, Montana. |
Date Taken: 2015:05:26 15:03 |
|
Location:
Lee Metcalf NWR |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: Cut_D3X4811-BlackBilledMagpie |
| © 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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