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Yellow-billed Magpie

Pica nuttalliOrder: PASSERIFORMESFamily: Crows and Jays (Corvidae)
Yellow-billed magpie Portrait
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Range Map for Yellow-billed Magpie

Overview

Yellow-billed Magpie: Large jay with black hood, back and breast, featherless, pale yellow spot behind eye, and white belly. Bill is yellow. Upperwings are iridescent blue-green with large white shoulder patches. Tail is iridescent green-black, very long, and wedge-shaped. Legs and feet are black.

Range and Habitat

Yellow-billed Magpie: Resident in California's Central Valley and adjacent foothills. Preferred habitats include oak savannas, oak woods, riverside growth, ranches, and suburbs.

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Voice Text

"kwah-kwah-kwah"

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Related Birds:

Black-billed Magpie
Brown Jay
Green Jay
Clark's Nutcracker
American Crow
.

Copyright © 2005 WBFI Research Foundation Bird database and its related content and media is Copyright (C) 2002 - 2005 Mitch Waite Group All rights reserved.

Family Jays and Magpies (Corvidae)_blue
Species Pica nuttalli
Length16.5 Inches
Wingspan22 Inches

Yellow-billed Magpie

Yellow-billed Magpie: Large jay with black hood, back and breast, featherless, pale yellow spot behind eye, and white belly. Bill is yellow. Upperwings are iridescent blue-green with large white shoulder patches. Tail is iridescent green-black, very long, and wedge-shaped. Legs and feet are black.

● Song: "kwah-kwah-kwah"

● Foraging & Feeding: Yellow-billed Magpie: Diet consists of insects, carrion, fruits, berries, and acorns; also known to steal nestlings in order to feed its own young. Usually forages by walking, running, or hopping on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Yellow-billed Magpie: Five to eight olive eggs, marked with brown or olive, are laid in a large, domed stick nest. Nest is often built in a tree overgrown with mistletoe and is difficult to detect. Incubation ranges from 16 to 18 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Yellow-billed Magpie: Black-billed Magpie is larger and has black bill and no bare yellow facial patches.

Flight Pattern

Several weak wing beats, then several quicker ones.
Yellow-billed Magpie Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Yellow-billed Magpie: Resident in California's Central Valley and adjacent foothills. Preferred habitats include oak savannas, oak woods, riverside growth, ranches, and suburbs.
BreedingMonogamous, Colonial
PopulationCommon in restricted range, Declining slightly
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight6.1 Ounces