| Magpie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Eurasian magpie | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Superfamily: | Corvoidea |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Groups included | |
| Cladistically included but traditionally excluded taxa | |
Magpies arebirds of 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 genusPica are 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 genusCyanopica are found in East Asia and theIberian Peninsula. The birds calledmagpies in Australia are, however, not related to the magpies in the rest of the world.[5]
References dating back toOld English call the bird a "pie", derived from the Latinpica and 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, for its reputed tendency to feed on miscellaneous things.[8]
According to some studies, magpies do not form themonophyletic group 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 ofHolarctic species with black and white colouration, and is probably closely related tocrows and Eurasianjays. The other contains several species fromSouth toEast Asia with vivid colouration, which is predominantly green or blue. Theazure-winged magpie and 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 thePica magpies, sinceP. hudsonia andP. nuttalli may not be different species, whereas theKorean race ofP. pica is 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]
Oriental (blue and green) magpies
Azure-winged magpies
Holarctic (black-and-white) magpies
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 Festival every year will fly to theMilky Way and form a bridge, where the separatedCowherd and Weaver Girl will meet. The Milky Way is like a river, and the Cowherd and Weaver Girl refer to the famousα-Aquilae andα-Lyrae of 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 ofKorea and a symbol of its capitalSeoul.[12]
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 University found thatEurasian magpies expressneophobia when 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]
Magpies are commonorchard pests in some regions of the world.[15][16]
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 antiquities later became known asfolklore, (a term coined byWilliam 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 Davy attributed 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 is always unlucky to seesingle magpies, buttwo may be always regarded as a favourable omen; and the reason is, that in cold and stormy weather one magpie alone leaves the nest in search of food, the other remaining sitting upon the eggs or the young ones; but when two go out together, it is only when the weather is warm and mild, and thus favourable for fishing."[18]
