[265] Pica pica, Magpie

[265] Pica pica, Magpie

Introduction

Pica pica, the Magpie, is a common and widespread bird in the Crow family that is a bit more colourful than Corvus species ([098] Crow and [099] Rook,) but not as good-looking as [159] the Jay. 

It is also known as Common Magpie or Eurasian Magpie to distinguish it from other species in the genus Pica.

Other closely related genera have similar looking birds usually called magpies or magpie-jays.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Chordates

Class – Aves (Birds)

Order – Passeriformes

Family – Corvidae (Crows, Jays, Magpies and others)

Tribe – Corvinae

Genus – Pica

Scientific Name – Pica

Pica pica pica is the subspecies seen in the UK

Name

The history of the word Magpie is interesting. They were originally called just Pies, from old Indo-European roots meaning pointed (either from the bill or the long tail.)

In the Sixteenth Century the prefix Mag- was added. From an old shortened form of the name Margaret, it meant women in general and was an allusion to their call sound – like the idle chattering of a woman. If you have ever heard a Magpie, you will appreciate that this was not a compliment to womankind!

You can compare the names of [088] the Jackdaw and perhaps [135] the Robin, which have also changed over the centuries.

The word ‘pied’ for other birds with black-and-white plumage dates from about 1550. We have seen [231] the Pied Wagtail. This usage extends to other animals such as [021] the Small Magpie (Moth).

The classical Latin name for the bird was pica, which is cognate with picus, the Latin for a woodpecker. (See [115] Great Spotted Woodpecker.)

As I have mentioned before, animals are allowed to repeat the genus name as a species epithet but plants are not.

Description

Pica Pica is generally considered to have six geographically defined subspecies, with some overlap. For most of Europe we have the nominate subspecies Pica pica pica.

It’s more or less a black-and-white version of typical members of the Crow family, with a long tail. Its head, back and legs are black, with a chunky black bill. The shoulders and belly are pure white. The sides and tail appear black at a distance but have various iridescent shades of dark green, turquoise, blue or purple.

Its long straight tail is slightly longer than the rest of its body.

As for many birds the male is slightly larger than the female but both sexes are essentially similar.

They are omnivorous and will eat young birds and eggs, small mammals, carrion, insects, acorns, grains and other vegetation.

Its call is a rasping ratchet sound, not as harsh as that of the Jay.

Habitat

The Common Magpie is found over all of Europe and central and eastern Asia, with several geographically distinct subspecies. (The Black-billed Magpie, Pica hudsonia, found in northwest North America, is almost identical and sometimes considered a subspecies of Pica pica.)

Pica pica prefers open countryside but they are not so wary of humans as other members of the Crow family. They are much more likely to be seen in towns and even visiting domestic gardens. They don’t generally visit bird feeders.

Other Notes

• There are many superstitions associated with Magpies. There is a tradition of predicting fortune by how many are seen according to a rhyme that may start: ‘One for sorrow; Two for joy; Three for a girl; Four for a boy …’ But there are local variations in the words, and sometimes similar rhymes have been associated with Crows and Jackdaws. There are also still many people who like to greet a single Magpie with an incantation like ‘Good Morning Mr Magpie,’ to ward off ill-luck. Again, there are many local variations.
• They are not gregarious like Rooks and will often be seen singly or as a pair. It is also common to see a family group with a pair obviously looking after three or four younger birds. The juvenile birds look similar with somewhat shorter tails.
• The Magpie is probably the most intelligent species of bird and could be the most intelligent non-mammal species of animals. Other Corvids also do well in tests and experiments on their intelligence.

See also

The closest relative of the Magpie is the Jay.

[021] Anania hortulata, Small Magpie

[021] Anania hortulata, the Small Magpie

Introduction

Anania hortulata, the Small Magpie (or Small Magpie Moth) is a large colourful moth in the Grass Moth Family (Crambidae) which, untypically, rests with its wings unfolded. It is one of the largest British moths to be considered a micro-moth.

It should not be confused with Abraxas grossulariata, the Magpie moth from another family that looks very similar but a bit larger; or the Magpie Butterfly; or several other moths called Magpie; or [265] Pica pica, the Magpie (or Eurasian Magpie) or many other birds called Magpies!

Common Names are always difficult but almost anything in the animal kingdom that is wholly or partly black and white tends to be called a Magpie something. I have seen an Australian Magpie, which is not closely related to the corvid Magpie; magpie-larks, which are not larks; magpie-robins, which are not Robins; and Magpie Geese, which aren’t really geese.

I will also be including ‘all other moths,’ but my randomization process means that more moth species are yet to come.

Taxonomy

Kingdom – Animals

Phylum – Arthropods

Class – Insects

Order – Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths)

Family – Crambidae (Grass Moths)

Subfamily – Pyraustinae

Genus – Anania

Scientific Name – Anania hortulata

Name

You can see from its colours why it is called a Magpie!

All I can find of the genus name, Anania, is its use as a personal name, from the Biblical name Ananias. ‘Hortulatus’ looks as if it might mean ‘garden.’ With over a hundred species in the genus, the task of naming species sometimes seems to become a bit random.

Description

You will recognize Crambidae from [011] Grass Moths, and being in that family is enough to make Anania hortulata a micromoth. It is the subfamily Pyraustinae, whose members do not look quite like the grass moths we have seen already.

You will understand the difficulties of taxonomy when I tell you what distinguishes this subfamily. The Pyraustinae are characterised by atrophied spinula and venulae in the tympanal organs; a narrow fornix tympani; a longitudinal groove with androconial scales on the male mesothoracic tibiae; an often spinose antrum; a sella (a medially directed clasper on the inside of the valvae), and an editum with modified setae on the male valvae. [Thanks to Wikipedia for that useful information!] This blog is not the place for anatomical details.

The Small Magpie is not completely black and white as its name might suggest. The head and nearby parts of the wings are a bright orange-brown colour. It is much more colourful than its sister species in Anania, most of which are an unimpressive dull grey-brown like most moths.

It rests with its wings displayed, showing the markings on its wings.

Habitat and use

The Small Magpie is found in Europe and North America and is widespread and common in Britain.

The larvae feed on several species including mint, nettle and deadnettle.

Other Notes

I put this picture up to illustrate the need for being observant. These are the doors to one of the main hides at Slimbridge. When I took my pictures, it must have been there for some time and several visitors to the site had been in and out without noticing or disturbing it. It didn’t move as I took my pictures or when I went into the hide and out again.

I suspect that there are much better locations where its markings would have provided good camouflage.

See also

You have to realise that although this moth comes very early alphabetically, it was the last moth in my selection process and am including some miscellaneous other moths into this post. There are two thousand species of moths that you may see in Britain. Most of the moths you are likely to see will fly into your house at night. Here are some that I have seen.

The first two are Carpet Moths. There are many hundreds of moth species called carpet moths from the proclivity of their larvae to eat carpets. All come in the family Geometridae. These are Thera obeliscata, the Grey Pine Carpet and Xanthorhoe fluctuata, the Garden Carpet.

Finally, two very common moths – Hofmannophila pseudospretella, the Brown House Moth from the Oecophoridae, and the Epiphyas postvittana, the Light Brown Apple Moth from the Tortrix family.

The notorious LBAM is native to Australia but has been introduced and become invasive in many counties.

Moth Traps

You can always join the growing number of people whose hobby is trapping moths. You will need a moth trap, which is not much more than a big box with a powerful light to attract the moths, normally kept outside somewhere. Many are now available commercially.

If you leave the light on overnight, you can see and record what has arrived next morning. Your catch will be affected by the time of the year and the weather conditions but you can expect some moths almost every night, sometimes dozens of different species. If you are keen on entomology in general you may also catch caddisflies, beetles, wasps and hornets and other insects.