Black-billed Magpie

Black-billed Magpie standing on a bench at Sheep Lakes.

NPS Photo / Rachel Ames

Size: 17.5-23.5”
Description: Black and white overall with blue-green iridescence on wings and tail.
Migratory Status: Year-round residents of Rocky Mountain National Park.
Habitat: Live in a variety of environments including urban, open and riparian habitats with scattered trees to 13,000 feet in summer and 9,000 feet in winter.
Diet: Typically forage on or near the ground and eat a wide variety of foods including fruits, grains, grasshoppers, beetles, small mammals and carrion. Also eat ticks off the backs of large mammals including deer, elk and moose.

 

• Black-billed Magpie (call)

  
  

  Black-billed Magpie call recorded in Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park.

  Credit / Author:

  J. Job

  Date created:

  06/24/2015

  Audio Transcript

  Transcript due 4/1/2025

 

• Black-billed Magpie (call)

  
  

  Black-billed Magpie call recorded in Moraine Park in Rocky Mountain National Park. A hummingbird can be heard flying by, and a House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and American Crow can be heard in the background.

  Credit / Author:

  J. Job

  Date created:

  06/24/2015

  Audio Transcript

  Transcript due 4/1/2025