With their large size, bold pied plumage, and fondness for open areas, black-billed magpies are easily seen. They hop and walk on the ground with a swaggering and confident gait. Monotypic.

One hearty year-round resident, however, is a stunning bird with iridescent blue and green feathers paired with white under the wing that flashes in flight and a jet-black head, especially against ...

Blue jays prefer to shell their own nuts. Yellow-billed magpies, found only in California, eat a variety of insects including wasps. Black-billed magpies live in western parts of the United States ...