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Magpie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the birds in the family Corvidae. For the black and white bird often referred to by English speakers simply as 'magpie', seeEurasian magpie.For the Australasian bird in the family Artamidae, seeAustralian magpie.For other uses, seeMagpie (disambiguation).

Magpie
Eurasian magpie
Eurasian magpie
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Superfamily: Corvoidea
Family: Corvidae
Groups included

Magpiesarebirdsof various species of the familyCorvidae.Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. TheEurasian magpie,for instance, is thought to rank among the world'smost intelligent creatures,[1][2]and is one of the few nonmammalian species able to recognize itself in amirror test.[3]Magpies have shown the ability to make and use tools, imitate human speech, grieve, play games, and work in teams.[4]They are particularly well known for their songs and were once popular as cagebirds. In addition to other members of the genusPica,corvids considered magpies are in the generaCissa,Urocissa,andCyanopica.

Magpies of the genusPicaare generally found in temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and western North America, with populations also present in Tibet and high-elevation areas of Kashmir. Magpies of the genusCyanopicaare found in East Asia and theIberian Peninsula.The birds calledmagpies in Australiaare, however, not related to the magpies in the rest of the world.[5]

Name

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References dating back toOld Englishcall the bird a "pie", derived from the Latinpicaand cognate to Frenchpie;this term has fallen out of use.[6]The tendency in previous centuries was to give birds common names, such as robin redbreast (which now is called therobin) and jenny wren. The magpie was originally variously maggie pie and mag pie.[7]The term "pica"for the human disorder involving a compulsive desire to eat items that are not food is borrowed from the Latin name of the magpie (Pica pica), for its reputed tendency to feed on miscellaneous things.[8]

Systematics and species

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According to some studies, magpies do not form themonophyleticgroup they are traditionally believed to be; tails have elongated (or shortened) independently in multiple lineages of corvid birds.[9]Among the traditional magpies, two distinct lineages apparently exist. One consists ofHolarcticspecies with black and white colouration, and is probably closely related tocrowsand Eurasianjays.The other contains several species fromSouthtoEast Asiawith vivid colouration, which is predominantly green or blue. Theazure-winged magpieand theIberian magpie,formerly thought to constitute a single species with a most peculiar distribution, have been shown to be two distinct species, and are classified as the genusCyanopica.[10]

Other research has cast doubt on the taxonomy of thePicamagpies, sinceP. hudsoniaandP. nuttallimay not be different species, whereas theKoreanrace ofP. picais genetically very distinct from the other Eurasian (as well as the North American) forms. Either the North American, Korean, and remaining Eurasian forms are accepted as three or four separate species, or else only a single species,Pica pica,exists.[11]

Holarctic (black-and-white) magpies

Oriental (blue and green) magpies

Azure-winged magpies

Other "magpies"

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  • Theblack magpies,Platysmurus,aretreepies;they are neither magpies, nor as was long believed, jays. Treepies are a distinct group of corvids externally similar to magpies.
  • TheAustralian magpie,Cracticus tibicen,is conspicuously "pied", with black and white plumage reminiscent of a Eurasian magpie. It is a member of the familyArtamidaeand not a corvid.
  • Themagpie-robins,members of the genusCopsychus,have a similar "pied" appearance, but they areOld World flycatchers,unrelated to the corvids.

Human interactions

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Cultural references

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See also:Eurasian magpie § Relationship with humans,andBlack-billed magpie § Relationship with humans

East Asia

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In East Asian cultures, the magpie is a very popular bird and is a symbol of good luck and fortune.

The magpie is a common subject in Chinese paintings. It is also often found in traditional Chinese poetry and couplets. In addition, in Chinese folklore, all the magpies of theQixi Festivalevery year will fly to theMilky Wayand form a bridge, where the separatedCowherd and Weaver Girlwill meet. The Milky Way is like a river, and the Cowherd and Weaver Girl refer to the famousα-Aquilaeandα-Lyraeof modern Astronomy, respectively. For this reason, the magpie bridge has come to symbolize a relationship between men and women.

Magpies have an important place in the birth myth ofAi Xinjue Luo Bukuri Yushun,the ancestor of theQing dynasty.

The magpie is a national bird ofKoreaand a symbol of its capitalSeoul.[12]

Europe

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In European culture, the magpie is reputed to collect shiny objects such as wedding rings and other valuables, a well known example beingRossini's operaLa Gazza Ladra(The Thieving Magpie). A recent study conducted byExeter Universityfound thatEurasian magpiesexpressneophobiawhen presented with unfamiliar objects, and were less likely to approach or interact with the shiny objects - metal screws, foil rings andaluminium foil- used in the experiments.[13]However, magpies are naturally curious like other members of the corvid family, and may collect shiny objects, but do not favour shiny objects over dull ones.[14]

As pests

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Magpies are commonorchard pestsin some regions of the world.[15][16]

In legend

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In England, magpies were traditionally viewed as omens either of fortune or misfortune, depending upon the number of birds one saw. An English nursery rhyme known as "One for Sorrow"recounts the tradition:

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.[17]

John Brand was an English antiquarian and Church of England clergyman, who was appointed Secretary to the Society of Antiquaries, in 1784. His book,Observations of Popular Antiquities,(1780), has the first-known record of counting Magpies to predict good or ill-fortune, in the description, and records only four lines:

"One for sorrow, Two for mirth, Three for a funeral, And four for a birth". Popular antiquitieslater became known asFolklore,(a term coined by William John Thoms in 1846).

In that year, the rhyme was added toProverbs and Popular Sayings of the Seasons,byMichael Aislabie Denham,an English merchant and collector of folklore. The following lines were added:-

"Five for heaven, Six for hell, Seven for the devil, his own self". Sir Humphry Davyattributed the connection for the feeling of one, then two magpies to joy and sorrow in his,Salmonia: or Days of Fly Fishing,(1828); he wrote: "For anglers in spring it has always been regarded as unlucky to see single magpies, but two may be always regarded as a favourable omen;...in cold and stormy weather one magpie alone leaves the nest in search of food; the other remaining sitting on the eggs...when two go out...the weather is warm...favourable for fishing".

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References

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  1. ^Connor, Steve (19 August 2008)."Magpies reflect on a newly discovered intellectual prowess".The Independent.Archivedfrom the original on 18 November 2011.Retrieved4 September2017.
  2. ^"Eurasian Magpie: A True Bird Brain".Encyclopedia Britannica.Archivedfrom the original on 14 January 2021.Retrieved5 February2021.
  3. ^Prior H, et al. (2008). De Waal F (ed.)."Mirror-Induced Behavior in the Magpie (Pica pica): Evidence of Self-Recognition ".PLOS Biology.6(8). Public Library of Science: e202.doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060202.PMC2517622.PMID18715117.
  4. ^Administrator (2016-09-12)."Eurasian Magpie: A True Bird Brain".Saving Earth | Encyclopedia Britannica.Retrieved2024-03-15.
  5. ^Joseph, Leo (2017-12-12)."It's beloved, but Australia's magpie is an international bird of mystery | Leo Joseph".the Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-10-23.Retrieved2020-10-19.
  6. ^"pie".Oxford English Dictionary(Online ed.).Oxford University Press.(Subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired.)
  7. ^"magpie".Oxford English Dictionary(Online ed.).Oxford University Press.(Subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired.)
  8. ^"pica".Oxford English Dictionary(Online ed.).Oxford University Press.(Subscription orparticipating institution membershiprequired.)
  9. ^Ericson, Per G. P.; Jansén, Anna-Lee; Johansson, Ulf S. & Ekman, Jan (2005):Inter-generic relationships of the crows, jays, magpies and allied groups (Aves: Corvidae) based on nucleotide sequence data.Archived2017-08-10 at theWayback MachineJournal of Avian Biology36:222–234.
  10. ^Kyukov et al,Synchronic east–west divergence in azure-winged magpies (Cyanopica cyanus) and magpies (Pica pica), Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 42(4): 342-351 (2004)
  11. ^Lee, Sang-im; Parr, Cynthia S.; Hwang, Youna; Mindell, David P. & Choe, Jae C. (2003):Phylogeny of magpies (genusPica) inferred from mtDNA data.Archived2004-05-04 at theWayback MachineMolecular Phylogenetics and Evolution29:250–257.
  12. ^"Tree, Flower & Bird -".Seoul Metropolitan Government.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-08-12.Retrieved2023-08-12.
  13. ^"Magpies 'don't steal shiny objects'".BBC News.2014-08-16.Archivedfrom the original on 2023-06-05.Retrieved2022-05-02.
  14. ^"Do Magpies Like Stealing Shiny Things?".Audubon.2019-04-15.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-05-20.Retrieved2022-05-02.
  15. ^"Birds / Cherry / Agriculture: Pest Management Guidelines".UC Statewide IPM Program(UC IPM).Archivedfrom the original on 2022-09-15.Retrieved2022-06-21.
  16. ^"Birds on Tree Fruits and Vines Management Guidelines".UC Statewide IPM Program(UC IPM).2005-05-20.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-06-21.Retrieved2022-06-21.
  17. ^P. Tate (2010).Flights of Fancy: Birds in Myth, Legend, and Superstition.New York: Random House.ISBN978-1409035695.

Further reading

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