Black-billed magpies are year-round residents in our part of the Red River Valley, so I'm not surprised to see one on a drive through the countryside. I am pleased, though, because it shows me the ...

Often when I meet people who are visiting Colorado or relocating from the eastern U.S., they ask “What is that beautiful black and white bird with the long tail?” My typical shrugging reply is, “Oh ...

The magpies are out and about right now. It’s because the birds, like many other animals that call Colorado home year-round, are preparing for the looming winter. The black-billed magpies in Colorado ...

One of my favorite wildlife experiences is watching a coyote trot through the sagebrush with a black-billed magpie in tow. I’ve only seen this a few times since we moved out West in 1974, so it’s ...

Black-billed magpies and American crows, both members of the clever corvid family of birds, have adapted comfortably to life in urban and suburban communities. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the two ...

Although you may not realize it, most people are familiar with the corvid family of passerines, or perching birds. In our northern Minnesota region American crows, northern ravens and blue jays are ...

This media is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's ...

The Black-billed Magpie is unmistakeable, with its striking black and white body pattern and streaming ornamental tail. Often when I meet people who are visiting Colorado or relocating from the ...