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/mag"puy'/, n.1. either of two corvine birds, Pica pica (black-billed magpie), of Eurasia and North America, or P. nuttalli (yellow-billed magpie), of California, having long, graduated tails, black-and-white plumage, and noisy, mischievous habits.2. any of several related corvine birds.3. any of several black-and-white birds not related to the true magpies, as Gymnorhina tibicen, of Australia.4. an incessantly talkative person; noisy chatterer; chatterbox.5. a person who collects or hoards things, esp. indiscriminately.6. Western U.S. a black-and-white cow or steer, as a Holstein.[1595-1605; Mag Margaret + PIE2]
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The black-billed magpie (Pica pica) is 18 in. (45 cm) long and strikingly pied (black-and-white), with an iridescent blue-green tail. It is found in North Africa, across Eurasia, and in western North America. A bird of farmlands and tree-studded open country, it eats insects, seeds, small vertebrates, the eggs and young of other birds, and fresh carrion. It makes a large, round nest of twigs cemented with mud, and is known for hoarding small, bright objects. Other species (in the genera Cyanopica, Cissa, and Urocissa) include the brilliant blue or green magpies of Asia.* * *
▪ birdany of several long-tailed birds belonging to the family Corvidae (order Passeriformes). The best-known species, often called the black-billed magpie (Pica pica), is a 45-centimetre (18-inch) black-and-white (i.e., pied) bird, with an iridescent blue-green tail. It occurs in northwestern Africa, across Eurasia, and in western North America. A bird of farmlands and tree-studded open country, it eats insects, seeds, small vertebrates, the eggs and young of other birds, and fresh carrion. It makes a large, round nest of twigs cemented with mud.Brilliant blue or green magpies in Asia include those of the genera Cyanopica, Cissa, and Urocissa. For Australasian magpies, see bell-magpie.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
