The white-sided magpie is hard not to recognize. This bird is slightly larger than a jackdaw, but does not look like it at all. The tail of a magpie is much longer than the body, stepped. In addition, it is distinguished by contrasting plumage: on the back, neck and head, feathers are black with a metallic sheen, and on the belly and partly on the wings, they are white. The body length of the magpie is about 50 cm, the wingspan is 90 centimeters. Males and females do not differ in plumage color, but the male half is larger in size.
Magpies in nature emit quite a variety of sounds, but most often they chirp characteristically. A fast, repetitive signal of this kind usually means anxiety, in a calm environment, the chirping of a magpie is slowed down. During courtship, both partners emit complex, quiet trills, reminiscent of singing, interrupted by screams.
The magpie is a sedentary bird. Magpies do not particularly like to live in dense forests, preferring to settle near settlements, where you can profit from something tasty or beautiful. They are often found in the countryside, in groves, parks and copses. Magpies usually fly in groups of several individuals, although in the autumn-winter period the flocks grow to several hundred birds.
Magpies are omnivorous, but their diet is based on various insects, including agricultural pests. Magpies also love plant foods, eagerly eating berries and seeds. They often destroy the nests of other birds in order to feast on their eggs or chicks. They can hunt small rodents or dig in a landfill in search of food waste. Farmers dislike forty, as robbers peck grain and seeds in the fields.
Quite interesting and unusual in forty sex relations. Like all corvids, they form monogamous married couples. However, these birds also have divorce for mercantile reasons - just like people! Moreover, the share of divorces is about a third of all concluded unions. And the reason for such serious family disagreements is also completely human - living space ...
The fact is that magpies usually nest in thickets of trees. The family happiness of those couples who managed to occupy dense crowns in a grove or park more often chosen for nesting is not threatened. Of course, excluding force majeure circumstances, for example, the death of one of the spouses.
But not all families get decent "apartments". And those who did not manage to settle in a prestigious safe area of green spaces are forced for the time being to be content with extreme or even single trees. And it is insidious to expect that very force majeure, from which not a single even the most successful marriage is insured. Yes, in the event of the death of one of the partners in a family occupying a nest in a “good” place, one of the losers hastily takes up the vacancy, without hesitation leaving his hateful home with his spouse.
The psychology of these forty is petty, right? However, according to observations, the offspring of "dastardly traitors" in new families turned out to be more viable and numerous than those of those couples that remained faithful to each other, despite the constrained life circumstances. It turns out that adultery, so widespread in the magpie community, contributes to the improvement of the gene pool and is aimed at caring for the future of society as a whole.
Magpie's nest is a rather interesting, complex structure. The frame is built from thick branches, reinforced from the outside with clay and grass. The nest is lined with thin rods from the inside. Of these, a rather flimsy roof is being built. Such a roof does not save from rain, but it does a good job of disguising kids from predators. The nest is rounded, almost spherical. The entrance to the dwelling is located on the side.
Often one pair builds several nests at once, subsequently using only one of them - the best. The rest, unclaimed nests of magpies, are often occupied by other birds, for example, owls. In April, a clutch of 5-8 bluish-green spotted eggs appears in the main nest. The female is engaged in incubation for 17-18 days, while the male feeds the future mother and protects her peace.
Common magpie (Pica pisa) everyone knows. This is a beautiful resident bird from the Corvidae family, the Magpie genus. Its length is 45 cm. The magpie has a characteristic plumage of contrasting white and black colors. She has a very long black tail with a greenish tint (excellent rudder) and black wings with a bluish tint. The head, neck, goiter, back and top of the breast are black. The belly, underside of the breast and stripes on the shoulders are white.
Magpie, photo from the site http://fondosanimales.com.es/
Magpies live in Europe, Asia, North America and North Africa. The bird often settles near a person. Often in forest parks, city parks and gardens. Magpies live less frequently in large forests. They are not seen in the highlands and in the Far North. But in the Nordic countries, forty are many.
Magpies live in small flocks or singly. During the nesting period, they keep in pairs. Birds willingly eat insects, lizards and mice, drink bird eggs. There are many pests on their menu. The omnivorous magpie pecks up the seeds of sunflower, various herbs, watermelons, melons, etc.
Recently, four magpies began to fly to, in which there are always crumbs of bread and cereals for tits and. Magpies cannot climb into the feeder, therefore they are content with crumbs that have fallen to the ground from above. These birds noisily chase each other, trying to get closer to the food. Magpies are not yet accustomed to us, so they instantly fly away, frightened of any movement. Therefore, they are difficult to photograph.
Flying forty is considered difficult. They flap their wings frequently, usually flying in a straight line. When the magpie is on the ground, it walks or leaps.
In the East of Russia, in East Asia and on the Iberian Peninsula, a smaller one lives (length 34 cm) blue magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) with bluish flight wings. Some authors highlight Siberian blue magpie(living in Siberia) and Spanish blue magpie(from Spain). A significant number of bird watchers combine these beautiful birds into a single species.
In addition to these types, there are also chinese azure magpie(East China), red-billed azure magpie(Himalayas - Nepal) and green magpie(Himalayas, Indochina, Malaysia).
Magpies from the subfamily live in the forests of South Asia long-tailed magpies... In India, China and the Himalayas, there are wandering (english) magpies which refer to forest magpies(Bram)
Magpies form stable pairs. Both birds build the nest. A spherical structure is built from rigid branches, leaves and clay. The nest is lined from the inside with a bedding of blades of grass, thin roots and scraps of animal hair. On the side there is an entrance, near which a tray is molded from clay. The magpie's roof is made of twigs. The nest is more often found in tall trees and bushes, less often in low bushes. In clutch there are 5 - 8 spotted bluish-green eggs.
The female magpie incubates eggs for about 18 - 20 days. A. Bram notes that she continues to incubate eggs even when a shot is stuck in her body. The male magpie guards the nest and feeds the female several times an hour!
Chicks stay in the nest for 3-4 weeks. Magpies are brave and caring parents. Adult birds feed their chicks with small insects, beetles, worms, snails, and later with chicks of small birds (finches, tits, etc.). Therefore, in the spring, magpies are so often engaged in robbery, ruining bird nests.
Gerald Durrell described the behavior of forty in the wonderful book "My Family and Other Beasts."
I carefully wrapped my fingers around the thick, warm chick and pulled it out. Even I, with all my enthusiastic love for chicks, could not call him beautiful. It had a thick, short beak with yellow folds at the corners, a bald head and half-closed dull eyes that gave it the appearance of a drunken or, rather, feeble-minded subject. Wrinkled skin hung in folds all over the body, as if hastily and somehow pinned to the meat by black stumps of feathers. A large, sagging belly protruded between her thin long legs. The skin on him was so thin that the insides showed through it. The chick sat in my palm, its belly stuck out like a ball filled with water, and squeaked helplessly. Looking inside the nest, I found three more chicks there, just as ugly as the one that was sitting in my palm. After a little thought and carefully examining each of them, I decided to take one pair for myself and leave the other to my mother. This seemed to me quite fair, I had no idea what objections my mother might have. For myself, I chose the largest (he will grow up quickly) and the smallest (he had a touching look), carefully put them in his bosom and began to go downstairs, where the dogs were waiting for me.
Magpies, which people took as chicks and raised in their home, become tame. They fly away for a short time, after which they return each time. Forty teach different funny tricks and pronunciation of words.
Young birds are very mobile. According to Konrad Lorenz, they will never let the cat catch them. Magpies react instantly to any threat.
Gerald Durrell describes the maturation of two of his birds, which were given the nickname Magpies in the house.
By the time the grown chicks were covered with feathers, Larry was so used to them that he completely forgot about their supposed criminal inclinations. Fat, sleek, chatty Magpies sat on the edge of their basket and expressed innocence with their whole appearance. Everything was going well until they started learning to fly. In the early stages of training, the Magpies simply fell off the table on the veranda and, desperately flapping their wings, swept through the air for fifteen feet, and then flopped onto the stone tiles. Their courage increased with the strength of their wings, and soon they were able to make their first real flight, flying around the house. They looked just wonderful. Long tails flashed in the sun, wings whizzing through the air as birds soared down over the vines.
Magpies are famous robbers. They are not considered social birds. Konrad Lorenz compares them to an inveterate criminal in a civilized human society. He notes that they do not have the kind of restraining regulators that are so attractive in the behavior of jackdaws.
The stable phrase "magpie-thief" is associated with the fact that magpies really drag a variety of objects to themselves. Some (threads, pieces of fabric) - in order to use in the construction of the nest. Others are for fun. Those people who had magpies in their house noted that magpies more often steal objects that people use (glasses, watches, cosmetics, buttons, etc.). At the same time, they clearly amuse themselves, seeing what a commotion begins when searching for stolen things. Magpies do not disdain a variety of shiny objects.
The Darrell family has repeatedly clashed with the Magpies, who organized the robbery.
Climbing the hill, to his horror, Larry saw one of the Forty on the windowsill and shouted loudly at her. She gave an alarm, the second bird flew out of the room at once, and they both flew over to the magnolia, giggling loudly, like boys who had been frightened off during a raid on the orchard.
Magpies combed the room as well as a Secret Service agent looking for stolen plans. Sheets of a printed manuscript and blank paper were scattered about on the floor like autumn leaves. Almost all of them were decorated with a pretty pattern of pecked holes. Magpies could never resist paper. The typewriter sat on the table like a gutted horse in an arena after a bullfight. The tape was pulled out of it, the keys were smeared with bird droppings. The entire carpet, bed and table were white under the drifts of scraps of paper. The magpies apparently suspected Larry as a drug smuggler and fought heroically with a can of soda, scattering its contents through the rows of books, so that they now resembled a snow-covered mountain range. On the floor, on the tabletop, on the manuscript, on the bed, and especially on the pillow, an unusually picturesque drawing of footprints was applied in red and green ink, as if each bird had overturned ink of its favorite color and stomped on it. The blue ink bottle, not so bright, remained intact.
Man-raised magpies are distinguished by gullibility and importunity. This smart bird is very sociable. Bram describes a case when a large macaw parrot for several months could not learn to speak, until his cage was placed next to the cage of a tame magpie, which did not fall silent for days. At first, the macaw began to mimic the chattering magpie, then he was able to pronounce certain words, learned new ones and called the children of his master by name.
Learned to reproduce different sounds and Darrell Magpies.
Chained to one place, the Magpies could now devote a lot of time to their studies, which consisted in a firm mastery of the Greek and English languages and in the skillful reproduction of natural sounds. In a very short time they learned to call all members of our family by name and played Spiro with exceptional cunning. After waiting for him to get into the car and drive a little away from the house, the Magpies rushed to the corner of the cage and shouted: "Spiro ... Spiro ... Spiro! ...", forcing him to press the brakes and turn back to find out who called him. A lot of innocent joy was brought to them by the words "Go away!" and “Come here!”, which they shouted in turn in Greek, then in English, to the utter confusion of the dogs. Another trick, which amused them endlessly, was to deceive the poor, unfortunate chickens, all day digging in the ground among the olive groves. From time to time a maid would appear on the threshold of the kitchen and begin to utter squeaky sounds interspersed with some strange loud hiccup. It was a feeding signal, and all the chickens, as if by magic, were at the kitchen door. As soon as the Magpies mastered this call, they completely exterminated the poor chickens.
It is impossible to finish the description of the behavior of the Magpies without remembering how the drunken Magpies behave. Their hideous behavior surprised even Darrell, who was faced with an unusual situation for the first time.
Magpies were sitting in the very center of the table on a very beautiful vase of flowers. Cold with horror, I began to examine the table. Knives and forks were scattered about, butter was smeared on plates, and oily prints of bird paws were scattered all over the tablecloth. Pepper and salt adorned the smudged shards of a shattered hot-seasoned gravy boat rather effectively. And to top it all off, the incomparable Magpies threw a jug of water on the table.
There was clearly something suspicious about the behavior of the criminals, I decided. Instead of immediately running away from here, they sat with shining, clear eyes among the broken flowers, swayed regularly and exchanged complacent remarks. One of them, with a flower in its beak, looked at me with an admiring glance for a minute, then with uncertain steps walked across the table and, unable to keep on the very edge of balance, crashed to the floor. The other Magpie giggled cheerfully, stuck her head under the wing and instantly fell asleep. I was amazed at this strange behavior of the birds. Then I noticed a broken bottle of beer on the floor and immediately understood everything. The Forty had their own feast here, and they had enough. I caught them without difficulty, although the one on the table tried to hide under an oiled napkin and pretend it was not there.
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Have magpies there is a nickname - white-sided. On the sides, the feathers are white, and the head, wings and tail are black, like a raven. The magpie's tail is very beautiful - long, straight, like an arrow. The feathers on it are not just black, but with a beautiful greenish tint.
The magpie cannot be confused with any other bird. In nature, the magpie can be unmistakably identified by its voice with the typical sound of "cha, cha, cha". Everyone knows her habit of stealing and hiding shiny objects. The magpie usually settles in an open area with many trees and bushes. She avoids the dense forest.
Its nest is characteristic and peculiar - a large one, covered from above with a barbed roof. It is built of dry branches covered with a layer of clay and mud, and behind it is a tray of roots, stems, leaves and wool. The nest is most often located high from the ground in the crown of a tree, and if there are few trees - lower in the bushes. As a rule, magpies build several nests, and then choose one in which they nest.
In April or May, 5-8 eggs appear in it. The female incubates them herself for about two weeks. The male begins to help her after the birth of offspring - it is very voracious. A month after birth, the chicks fly out of the nest and stay close to it.
Magpies usually do not form flocks or groups; they prefer to keep in pairs, and after nesting - in families, but only for a certain time. In places where there are many forty, they unite in flocks in the fall and roam together. The magpie is sedentary: neither in autumn nor in winter it moves far from the nest. By winter, most forty, along with crows and jackdaws, scatter across the villages and look for food.
The forage for the forty is varied. During feeding of nestlings, the magpie not only devours small mammals, insects, caterpillars and various other small animals, but also ruins the nests of other birds. In addition, she willingly eats various berries, fruits, and cereals.
| Magpie | |
| Magpie. Rtishchevo, Komsomolsky park |
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| Scientific classification | |
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| Kingdom: |
Animals |
| A type: |
Chordates |
| Class: | |
| Detachment: |
Passerine |
| Family: |
Corvids |
| Genus: | |
| View: |
Magpie |
| International scientific name | |
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Pica pica(Linnaeus, 1758) |
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| View in taxonomic databases | |
Magpie(lat. Pica pica) is a bird of the corvidae family ( Corvidae).
Body length 46 cm, wings - 18.5-20.5 cm; weight over 250 g. In an adult magpie, the head, neck, back and upper part of the chest, as well as the elytra, lower tail coverts and feathers of the tibia are shiny black; tail feathers are metallic purple-green, bluish at the apex; the sides of the body and the lower part of the chest are white. The iris is dark brown, the beak and legs are black. The magpie is notable for a very long, stepped tail, its length in adults is 24.7-27 cm.
In juveniles, the plumage is without metallic sheen, the black color is replaced by a more or less brownish color, the tail is shorter (21.5-25.4 cm).
In the summer-autumn life, forty of undoubted interest is their "singing", which is more typical for young birds than for old ones. It represents itself, a quiet tongue twister, interrupted by short sounds "zhokh-zhokh". By the nature of the performance, it is a "sub-song". The singing bird, being alone, sits inside the bush and alternates the song with the usual chirping. Such singing can be heard quite rarely, since magpies sing very irregularly.
Magpies inhabit all of Europe from the North Cape in Scandinavia to the southern ends of Spain and Greece. It is absent only on a few islands in the Mediterranean. Also inhabits parts of the coastal regions of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia in northern Africa.
From the east of Europe, the magpie is distributed to about 65 ° north latitude, from the Middle East, its range extends to Turkey and parts of Iran almost to the coast of the Persian Gulf. In the Far East, the northern boundary of distribution recedes southward to the Sea of Japan up to approximately 50 ° north latitude. In Asia, the magpie populates areas up to North Vietnam, also northwest of Mongolia. In North America, magpies inhabited the western half of the continent from Alaska to Baja California, inclusive.
Magpies are inhabitants of woodlands of various sizes and origins. They are especially willing to populate forest shelter belts, as well as plantings along highways and railways. In the west of the Saratov region, the magpie inhabits watershed and floodplain forests, and if there are conditions for a nest, it lives on the edges and outskirts of deciduous and coniferous watershed forests. In conditions of artificial plantings, it does not avoid monocultures and mixed plantings.
In nature, the magpie is very careful and shy.
In mid-September, you can meet groups of forty, which are united on the basis of the commonality of overnight stays. In the subsequent period, the structure of such temporary populations becomes stable, the number of birds in them is constantly increasing and reaches a maximum level by the time a permanent snow cover is established.
In winter, magpies make regular daily movements. They gather within large and small settlements, as well as on their outskirts, flocking here from the early morning, and immediately begin to search garbage dumps where they find food scraps. In the evening, they fly back to the place of the massive overnight stay.
Magpie's nest on a maple
The first elements of mating behavior are noted in forty from mid-March. During this period, they gather for the night in traditional places outside the nesting sites, and only in the daytime they move within the nesting biotopes. However, even earlier, from the first days of March, in some reproductive areas, group pre-breeding flights of these birds can be observed. Magpies gather in relatively dense flocks of up to 25-30 individuals and fly around the territory at a low altitude without making any sounds. In the last ten-day period of March, the overnight stays finally disintegrate, and most often individual current pairs or groups of forty are observed in the immediate vicinity of future nests.
The mating is less pronounced than in other corvids; includes a specific song of males, individual calls, flights at high altitudes, abrupt descents, pursuits, etc. From the first days of April, the nest-building activity of these birds becomes clearly visible, and the most intensive nest-building within the Saratov region is observed in magpies in the second half of April. Rare examples of earlier nesting are also known. In general, within the limits of large and small settlements in the central part of the Saratov region in the first decade of April, the formation of nests ends, in the first days of the second decade, the device of the tray is completed and the birds begin to lay eggs. However, birds with building material are also observed at a later time - until mid-June, which is probably due to repeated nesting due to the death of the first clutches or chicks.
Chooses young trees for nesting or settles in the lower layer of mature forests. This feature determines the absence of the species in old forests (coniferous and deciduous), devoid of undergrowth.
The nests are massive, spherical, with a lateral entrance. The outer frame of the nest is usually constructed of thin dry birch and willow twigs, fastened with clay. Occasionally, these twigs are partially replaced by coarse stems of grasses, such as reeds. Sometimes even a metal wire is woven into the socket. The tray is also coated with clay and lined with moss, soft grass and wool. From above and from the sides, the nest is covered with branches forming a lid.
Usually magpies arrange their nests at a height of 1.5-5.0 m, in rare cases higher. The size and shape of nesting buildings vary depending on the height of the location, the structure of the nesting tree, the nature of the biotope, etc. However, their internal dimensions are relatively stable and amount to 10-14 cm for the depth of the tray, and 10-19 cm for its diameter. high population density, the minimum distance between adjacent nests is 30-50 m. There are examples of denser settlements.
There are known examples when birds did not build new nests, but completed the structures of previous years or other pairs that for some reason left their individual plots. In general, it takes about a week for a pair of forty to build a new nest in early spring, while late or re-nested birds build nesting structures in a shorter time frame.
From mid-May to June, clutches are more often observed in the nests, the eggs in which are at different stages of incubation, which may indicate the beginning of incubation from the first or second egg. The peak of oviposition occurs in the first days of May; in natural habitats, the beginning of oviposition is observed in the last decade of April. There are usually 5-7, less often 8 or even 9 eggs in a clutch. Magpie eggs have two types of background color: light blue (76.6%) and blue (24.3%). A spotted pattern is typical for 56.7% of eggs, a spotted-linear and linear-spotted - 43.3%. The share of eggs with a dense distribution of the pattern accounts for 59.4%, a uniform distribution was recorded for 40.5% of the eggs. Moreover, the pattern in most cases (83.7%) is localized at the blunt end of the egg, much less often in the middle part (10.8%), although examples (5.4%) are known when the pattern was concentrated on the sharp end. Egg sizes: 27.3-41.9 × 21.2-26.4 mm.
Nests with non-incubated or weakly incubated clutches are also noted in the later period, in June. Sometimes the presence of a second, less pronounced, peak in the reproduction of the magpie is massive. In general, the length of the oviposition period in the magpie in the Saratov region is about 60 days. The prolonged period of oviposition and the entire period of breeding is due to many reasons, among which the primary one is the high ruinousness of nests by predators and humans.
The appearance of chicks is usually noted from the first ten days of May to the beginning of July, and the duration of the incubation period is close to 20 days. Chicks stay in the nest for 23-25 days, less often they fly out on the 20th day, and only in rainy weather they stay up to 28 days. Despite the noticeable age difference of chicks, they leave the nest more or less at the same time. Usually, the example of the elders encourages the younger ones to leave the nest. The first chicks in urban populations of forty in the central parts of the region fly out of the nests in the second half of May. In the west of the Saratov region, in natural habitats, the hatching of young animals occurs at a later period, usually in mid-June.
The first few days after leaving the nest, non-flying chicks stay in close proximity to it and are supplemented by their parents. Adult birds continue to feed juveniles for about a month after the chicks acquire the ability to fly. All this time, young and adult magpies usually live within a limited area in the vicinity of the nest. However, in some cases, probably due to limited food resources, colonies move to other richer food places. These mainly include river floodplains and forest edges. Here, families sometimes unite in groups, which persist until the fall and into a later period. Only sometimes broods break up within a month - one and a half after the chicks leave the nest, and young magpies wander independently across the territory of the region.
The predominant diet of magpie chicks is food of animal origin, mainly insects, which belong to eight different orders. Most often, adult magpies bring beetles (53 species) and lepidoptera (28) to the nest. Coleoptera are represented in the diet of chicks mainly by adult forms of small ground beetles, May beetle ( Melolontha hippocastani), weevils, pine barbel and other species; butterflies - caterpillars and pupae of a pine cocoon moth, bears ( Arctiidae), pine moth ( Bupalus piniaria), scoop. Representatives of other orders of insects and other invertebrates, in particular spiders, mollusks, worms and kivsaki, are harvested by the magpies irregularly and in small quantities.
Vertebrates play a secondary role in the diet of nesting chicks and are represented by amphibians, lizards, snakes, eggs and chicks of small passerine birds, and voles. The vegetable component of the diet is very poor (elderberries, weed seeds), carrion and food waste are brought to the nest by adult magpies relatively rarely. Thus, despite the overall high diversity of the food spectrum of chicks, only about 25 types of food clearly dominate in their diet. Sorochats feed on equally soft and coarse food, and the insects they bring differ significantly in size. The feeding dynamics of chicks in the course of their development is mainly due to the changes in the phases of insect development in nature, and not to the selectivity of adult birds when collecting food.
The main share in the diet of adult magpies during the nesting period is taken by animal food, mainly insects (Orthoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera). In the west of the Right Bank, in forested areas, adult birds prey primarily on adults of beetles, caterpillars and pupae of butterflies. Also, in the food of adult magpies within the Right Bank of the Saratov region, mouse-like rodents, nimble lizards, eggs and chicks of small passerine birds are registered. In the second half of summer, the importance of forage of plant origin (seeds of weeds, fruits of bird cherry, cherries, raspberries and grapes, grains of cultivated plants, melons, etc.) somewhat increases, and in some areas they may even prevail. Usually, plant objects play a dominant role in the food of forty only in conditions of a shortage of animal feed.
In the post-nesting period, magpies remain near the nesting sites for a long time. Those couples, whose nests are located near highways, feed in the autumn period mainly on the roadside. This feeding behavior is especially evident from the middle of October, when a significant number of insects concentrate on the asphalt pavement that warms up in the daytime.
In winter, magpies make regular daily movements. They gather within large and small settlements, as well as on their outskirts, flocking here from the early morning, and immediately begin to search garbage dumps where they find food scraps. In the evening, they fly back to the place of the mass overnight stay.
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| Flora and fauna of the Rtischevsky district | |||
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| Flora of the Rtischevsky district |
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| Mushrooms of the Rtischevsky district |
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| Fauna of the Rtischevsky district |
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The feeding of forty in captivity is based on the general principles of feeding corvids, which can be read about in a separate article ““. I was prompted to write a separate article on feeding the magpies by many years of observation of the content of these corvids in captivity.
Few people think about whether it is easy to provide a magpie with everything necessary in captivity. As a result, there is a picture of the survival of these beautiful birds in the hands of the owners licking sick birds.
In this article, I want to draw the attention of fans of the keeping of corvids on the fact that magpie is an active predator and gatherer. She eats everything she can get - from berries to fairly large animals and birds, as well as carrion.
This is true both for the nominal form Common magpie (Pica pica) with all subspecies, and to blue magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) and to ecotic magpies, for example - (Urocissa caerulea).
Feeding magpies is different from feeding adult birds, therefore
Meal worm, zofobas, crickets, grasshoppers, bears, etc.
Forage insects should be bred on a variety of nutritious diets, then their nutritional value will be high. Zofobas and mealworms grown on poor diets are rich in fats and poor in minerals and vitamins. Feeding forty only such "fatty" feed - will lead to the development of pathologies of the liver and kidneys of the bird.
During the mass departure May beetle(Khrushcha) ( Melolontha melolontha) give it to the magpies without restrictions. During this time, it can be stored by freezing. Although, often, the birds quickly gorge themselves on the May beetle, especially thawed, and refuse to eat it - in this case, you need to take breaks from his dacha.
The magpie eats "ant egg" - ant pupae. An ant egg is very rich in nutrients, but I would not recommend introducing it into the diet of magpies on an ongoing basis, since collecting an ant egg causes great harm to anthills and, accordingly, the forest ecosystem.
In this video, a magpie is eating a thrush. Perhaps this magpie found an already crashed thrush, maybe she caught it herself. Magpies are able to catch both adult birds and fledglings of sparrows, tits, pigeons.
The best option is quail carcasses. You can buy gutted quails in supermarkets or you can order quails from forage farms. It is preferable to feed the magpies with quails rather than chickens, since it is important that the magpie receives full-fledged small bird bones rich in calcium. Chickens contain a lot of phosphorus but little calcium.
It is not recommended to feed forty broiler chickens with meat - as these chickens are raised with the help of various biological additives that accelerate the development of muscle tissue and these compounds are retained in raw meat. For forty such supplements are not at all useful.
The common magpie hunts a rabbit. Here you can see how magpies perform the functions of regulators of the number of small animals in cities. When the populations of natural predators (wolves, foxes, dogs) decrease, small animals, in particular rabbits, actively reproduce.
A magpie hunts a rat. This video is specially added for those who like to blame forty for different sins and destroy them. Magpies are an important regulator of the number of rodents in cities.
The magpie is hunting mice. A similar video, only here the moment of the magpie hunting for mice is captured.
This is critical for mineral metabolism. In forty, it is very intense and the lack of readily available calcium in the diet quickly leads to problems with the bone tissue of birds and with the work of the heart muscle. In addition, it is important not to forget that the formation mechanism for corvids is as important as for birds of prey and owls.
It is not recommended to give nude (naked) mice in large quantities, as they contain a large amount of phosphorus and a small amount of calcium. This will lead to a calcium deficiency in the bird's body and the development of serious problems.
A video about the nutrition of blue magpies, if you remove the dubbing, then the variety of insects eaten by magpies is shown. It is very clearly visible how healthy blue magpies look and move.
From the outside it may seem strange, but a huge problem for fans of corvids, as well as for lovers of parrots, is that people do not know how healthy birds of the species they keep at home look like. Hence, a large number of chronically sick birds, which have not been taken care of for years.
Magpies hunt patterned snake (Elaphe dione). Although, most likely, this video captures the moment of protection of the nesting site of the magpie.
A common magpie has gotten a snake.
Thick-billed azure magpie (Urocissa caerulea) "Hunts" the snake. I don't know what kind of snake it is. I believe that in this case, too, the video captured the moment of defense of the nesting site forty. Snakes and lizards are part of the regular diet of these corvids.
Should I give forty lizards and snakes? Where to get them except how to remove them from nature? Unless you accidentally stumble upon a snake snake or a lizard just crushed on a country road by a car. As a delicacy, it is a good addition to the diet of captive magpies. Catching reptiles on purpose in order to feed the corvus bird, which you removed from nature, in my opinion, is ethically wrong and biologically criminal.
Blue magpies feed on privet berries.
Berries should be given both fresh and dried and frozen. Fruit should also always be present in the diets of forty.
Magpies feed on the fallen hare. Rabbit carcasses can be purchased from supermarkets or farmers. It is advisable to give them not gutted. Magpies, like any other corvids, are very important to properly "load" the beak so that it does not outgrow.
If you are a completely “correct” naturalist, then having got a magpie, most likely you will bring home knocked down cats, pigeons, etc. I do not recommend doing this at all! since rabies, different strains of flu, and many other dangerous infections are not the invention of doctors and laboratories, but a real danger to your health.
A very important point that is overlooked and disdainfully not discussed by city lovers of corvids - magpies, crows, crows are natural orderlies of ecotopes. Dead animals constitute an important part of their diets. Moreover, it is also important that by eating carrion, magpies receive a large amount of fermented fat and muscle tissue. These compounds cannot be replaced with artificial additives in the diet of birds, but you can not throw out the leftovers of mice, rats, quails from the aviary or poultry room - leave them for several days in a cage or in a magpie's "stash".
I think that all owners of corvid birds understand well what a "stash" is)) - these are products that are hidden in the most unexpected places. It's good when it's a nut, an acorn or a harmless quail egg, worse when it's a fish's head or a rat's carcass hidden in a jeans pocket). If the open-air cage is outdoor, this is not a big problem, but at home it is more difficult. Long tubular bones of animals are well suited for such "feeding" - a magpie will take a long time and with pleasure to hammer the odorous bone.
In the ripening season, these products are actively eaten and stocked by the magpies. Do not forget to provide your birds with them. It is a very good natural beak grinder.
Quails, rats, mice, rabbits.
The faded remains of forage animals or tubular bones of cattle and small cattle.
V.- Is it possible for magpies to mushrooms? And if so, which ones? I gave my magpie in small quantities a sulfur-yellow tinder fungus, white, boletus, chanterelles, no problems arose, but suddenly.
O.- can. Everything edible for humans is definitely possible. All the rest are in question, not everything that is dangerous for mammals is dangerous for birds. But I myself cannot yet say what inedible mushrooms are needed and safe for birds, I have little information about this at the moment.
V.- I give chicken meat-liver-ventricles-hearts-heads-paws, but I buy only domestic chickens. By the way, when I give the whole fish, the brain and eyes are also eaten right away. She also eats shrimp like that.
The article has not yet said about cottage cheese in the diet, but, probably, this is because it is said about it in other articles.) Well, about eggs. I give chicken boiled (together with shells), and quail raw (also with shells).
Is lean beef good for a magpie? I trim the fat. Beef heart is also quickly eaten.
O.- it's very good that you feed your magpie so variedly. In this article, I did not focus on fish / meat / eggs - since the basis of the forty diet is common to all corvids. This is described in detail in the article - Eating corvids. A discussion of the fat content of cottage cheese in the diets of corvids is in the article: "" Lean beef, it is suitable, - better on the bones - so that the bird uses force in the process of eating. Beef heart is very beneficial for all corvids.
V.- I would also add molluscs to the article, especially snails, which in nature make up a significant part of the forty's diet. They eat large quantities of both slugs and snails along with shells. Empty shells are also eagerly eaten and played with.
Another question about chicken heads: can they be given or not? I give it periodically - it is eaten completely, with the exception of the beak. Moreover, they usually immediately eat away the eyes, and then they let the head lie down for a couple of days, only after that they eat it.
Chicken heads - with them the same trouble as with chickens in general - if these are chickens from their own household - everything is ok. If there are broilers, I would not recommend using them for feeding corvids and birds of prey.
As a reminder: a course of anthelmintic drugs is recommended for all corvids 2 times a year. Late autumn and early summer.
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