Magpie

Distribution and habitat

Black-billed magpies row in the north from Alaska, central western British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and southern Manitoba, through the Rocky Mountains down south to all the Rocky Mountain positions including New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and some bordering states as well. The row extends as far east as Minnesota and Iowa. It frequents open country with thickets and scattered trees, especially riparian a group if trees, but can be cast within cities as well.

Typical size and appearance

The grown-up Black-billed Magpie is 45–60 cm (18–24 in) long and weighs 145-210 g (5-7.5 ounces). The tail is long and creates up half of the bird's length. Wingspan is about 60 cm (24 in). The male is larger than the female (16-20% heavier). The bird is black with white shoulders, a white belly, and dark blue-green wings and tail. There are big white markings on the fundamental, clearly visible in passing throw the air.

Reproduction:

Grow-up magpie pairs stay together year-round and usually for life unless one dies, in which case the remaining magpie come upon by seeking another an equal.
Magpies nest individually, often toward the top of deciduous or evergreen trees or tall shrubs. Only the nest tree is protected, and so it is possible for nests to be somewhat clumped in space. When this happens (usually in areas with a the utmost extended number of trees or with abundant food resources), a circulate colony is formed.
Nests are loose but big accumulations of a boughs, twigs, mud, grass, rootlets, bark strips, vines, needles, and other composed of matter, with a boughs and twigs constituting the base and framework. The nest cup is lined with fine rootlets, grass, and other not hard compound of matter. Nests almost always include a hood or dome of loosely meet togethers twigs and a boughs, and in the ordinary way have one or more side entrances. Nests are built by both sexes over 40–50 days. Old nests are mended and used, or a new nest is built on top, with older nests thus reaching 120 cm high by 100 cm wide (48 inches high by 40 inches wide). Other bird species, including little hawks and owls, frequently use old magpie nests.
The bring forth season for magpies is from late March to early July. They nest once a year, but will re-nest if their first thy fails. The female lays up to thirteen eggs, but the usual clutch size is six or seven. The eggs are greenish grey, marked with browns, and 1.3 inch long. Only the female sit on eggs, for 16–21 days. The male feeds the female throughout incubation. Hatched young, brooded by the female but fed by both sexes. Ha    hatching they fly three to four weeks after incubation, feed with grown-up for about two months, and then fly off to join other juvenile magpies.

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The lifespan of a magpie in the wild is about four to six years.