Maghreb Magpie vs Black-Billed Magpie

Maghreb Magpie

Pica mauritanica

How to recognise a Maghreb magpie?

General appearance

The Maghreb Magpie, distinctive for its bicolored plumage, presents a starkly contrasting black and white coloration. The body, chest, and portions of the wings are typically white, while the face, throat, tail, and parts of the wings are vividly black. Large in size for a songbird, it sports a sleek overall look and a long tail.

Male vs female

Similar to many bird species, the Maghreb Magpie exhibits no stark sexual dimorphism. Both males and females share the same color pattern, making gender determination difficult without close observation or expert knowledge. The sexes may be differentiated by minor variations in size or behavior during specific times, such as the breeding season.

Juvenile

Juvenile Maghreb Magpies, although similar in coloration to adults, often appear duller with less sharp contrast between the black and white areas. Their black plumage tends to be more brownish and less glossy. In addition, the juveniles' overall size is smaller, and they have shorter tails. With age and successive molts, they gradually attain the vibrant contrast and sleek form characteristic of adults.

Size

18.5 - 18.9 in/5.6 - 6.3 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The Maghreb magpie primarily resides in North Africa, particularly Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, where it can be found in a variety of habitats, ranging from urban areas to farmland and semi-desert environments.

Additional range

These birds have a broad tolerance for different climates but prefer warmer regions. Unusual habitats may include high-altitude locations, as they've been found up to 2,000 meters in the High Atlas Mountains.

Range Map

What do Maghreb magpies like to eat?

Natural diet

The Maghreb magpie primarily feeds on a diverse array of natural food sources, including insects, small mammals, and reptiles. It also consumes various plant materials such as fruits, seeds, and berries. These birds often forage on the ground or in low vegetation, scavenging for available food items in their habitat.

Bird feeders

Common foods that the Maghreb magpie consumes at bird feeders include suet, peanuts, and various seeds. They are adaptable and opportunistic feeders, often taking advantage of human-provided food resources, particularly in suburban and urban environments.

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Black-Billed Magpie

Pica hudsonia

Also known as: American Magpie

How to recognise a black-billed magpie?

General appearance

The black-billed magpie is unmistakable with a size about that of a crow, mallard, or herring gull, varies between 17 1/2 -22 inches (44-56 cm). It possesses distinctive coloration, featuring a black body with a green and blue gloss on its wings and long, wedge-shaped tail. Its large white wing patches are particularly noticeable during flight.

Male vs female

There is little sexual dimorphism in black-billed magpies, which means males and females look very similar to one another. Both genders share the black coloration, along with the green-blue glossy wings. The wings are broad, either fingered or rounded, and their tails are long, wedge-shaped.

Juvenile

Juvenile black-billed magpies will have similar coloration to adults, but their colors may initially appear less vibrant with the glossy wing sheen developing as they mature. Similar to adults, the juveniles' wing patches flash white during flight.

Size

17.7 - 23.6 in/5.1 - 7.4 oz

Habitat

Primary habitat

The preferred habitat of the black-billed magpie includes rangeland, conifers, streamsides, forest edges, and farms, often residing in the western semi-open terrain.

Additional range

Unexpectedly, it is also found in some suburban areas. It avoids unbroken forest, treeless grasslands, and extreme deserts. Its most common locations are streamside groves in open terrain and farm country.

Range Map

What do black-billed magpies like to eat?

Natural diet

The black-billed magpie is omnivorous with a varied diet. Insects such as grasshoppers, caterpillars, flies, and beetles are consistently consumed. Other natural food sources include carrion, rodents, eggs, and young of other birds, as well as sometimes small snakes. In winter, their diet includes more vegetable matter like berries, seeds, and nuts.

Bird feeders

At bird feeders, black-billed magpies may be attracted to seed mixes, especially those containing peanuts, sunflower seeds, and suet. They may also take advantage of kitchen scraps and other foods offered to larger birds.

What does a black-billed magpie sound like?

The vocalizations of the Black-billed Magpie display a diverse range. Its typical calls can be described as rapid, nasal "mag? mag? mag?" or chatter-like "yak yak yak." The calls vary in pitch, characterized by a flat or rising pattern that is quite distinctive. Other vocalizations include chirps or chips, and sometimes raucous screams, indicating the bird's complex and dynamic communication repertoire. Their sound is distinct, engaging, and expressive, making them one of the more vocally varied species.

Call

Audio by Gabriel Leite

/ CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

Call

Audio by Jonathon Jongsma

/ CC BY-SA 4.0

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Maghreb Magpie

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Black-Billed Magpie

Maghreb Magpie

Pica mauritanica

General appearance

The Maghreb Magpie, distinctive for its bicolored plumage, presents a starkly contrasting black and white coloration. The body, chest, and portions of the wings are typically white, while the face, throat, tail, and parts of the wings are vividly black. Large in size for a songbird, it sports a sleek overall look and a long tail.

Male vs female

Similar to many bird species, the Maghreb Magpie exhibits no stark sexual dimorphism. Both males and females share the same color pattern, making gender determination difficult without close observation or expert knowledge. The sexes may be differentiated by minor variations in size or behavior during specific times, such as the breeding season.

Juvenile

Juvenile Maghreb Magpies, although similar in coloration to adults, often appear duller with less sharp contrast between the black and white areas. Their black plumage tends to be more brownish and less glossy. In addition, the juveniles' overall size is smaller, and they have shorter tails. With age and successive molts, they gradually attain the vibrant contrast and sleek form characteristic of adults.

Size

18.5 - 18.9 in/5.6 - 6.3 oz

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Black-Billed Magpie

Pica hudsonia

Also known as: American Magpie

General appearance

The black-billed magpie is unmistakable with a size about that of a crow, mallard, or herring gull, varies between 17 1/2 -22 inches (44-56 cm). It possesses distinctive coloration, featuring a black body with a green and blue gloss on its wings and long, wedge-shaped tail. Its large white wing patches are particularly noticeable during flight.

Male vs female

There is little sexual dimorphism in black-billed magpies, which means males and females look very similar to one another. Both genders share the black coloration, along with the green-blue glossy wings. The wings are broad, either fingered or rounded, and their tails are long, wedge-shaped.

Juvenile

Juvenile black-billed magpies will have similar coloration to adults, but their colors may initially appear less vibrant with the glossy wing sheen developing as they mature. Similar to adults, the juveniles' wing patches flash white during flight.

Size

17.7 - 23.6 in/5.1 - 7.4 oz

There's more to learn about Black-Billed Magpie

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How to tell the Maghreb Magpie from the Black-Billed Magpie

Visual differences

The Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica) is identified by a blue skin patch behind its eye, its stark black-and-white plumage, and long tail. In contrast, the Black-Billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) features a black body with a green-blue gloss on wings and tail, and displays noticeable white wing patches in flight. Both are similarly sized, although Black-Billed Magpies can be slightly larger (17.5-22 inches compared to Maghreb's 18.5-18.9 inches). The beak shape of the Black-Billed is distinctively black, while the Maghreb lacks this specific beak coloration.

Key differences and behavior

The Maghreb Magpie and the Black-Billed Magpie both exhibit non-migratory behaviors, but differ in their habitat preferences. Maghreb Magpies reside in North Africa's warm regions, including urban areas and high-altitude locations, while Black-Billed Magpies inhabit western North America's semi-open terrains, avoiding dense forests and extreme deserts. In breeding, both species engage in courtship displays, but Black-Billed Magpies often form colonies. Both magpies build large nests using sticks, though Black-Billed Magpie nests are globular. Diets are similar, involving insects and small animals, but Black-Billed Magpies lean more toward carrion and varied vegetable matter in winter. Despite being opportunistic feeders, their responses to human environments differ slightly; Maghreb in gardens, Black-Billed on farms.