Black-billed Magpie Similar Species Comparison
Main SpeciesBlack-billed Magpie
Jaylike bird with a long tail and a heavy bill. Appears entirely black and white, but in good light the wings and tail shine with a blue-green iridescence.
© Kathryn Keith / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, April 05, 2019Flies with a bounding and rowing wingbeats, flashing its white primaries in flight. Note the white bars down its back and long diamond-shaped tail.
© John C Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryUtah, May 10, 2017Long-tailed black-and-white bird of open country. Often forages on the ground and perches on posts and small trees. Blue-green iridescence in wings and tail is not always visible.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryWyoming, October 01, 1998Striking black-and-white bird with blue wings and a long graduated tail.
© Kathryn Keith / Macaulay LibraryIdaho, April 05, 2019A conspicuous and gregarious bird with a long tail and white braces down its back.
© Mason Maron / Macaulay LibraryWashington, March 05, 2020Flies with deep, rowing wingbeats interspersed with short glides or shallower strokes. Note very long tail and large white patches in wings in flight.
© Timothy Barksdale / Macaulay LibraryMontana, October 01, 2000Found in meadows, grasslands, and sagebrush plains of the West as well as towns and other open areas.
© James Bozeman / Macaulay LibraryMontana, July 29, 2007Similar SpeciesYellow-billed Magpie
Adult/immature
Yellow-billed Magpies can be separated from Black-billed Magpies by their namesake yellow bill. They are restricted to the Central Valley of California.
© Garrett Lau / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, December 22, 2016Similar SpeciesAmerican Crow
Adult
American Crows have heavier bodies and shorter tails, and are entirely black unlike the black, blue, and white of Black-billed Magpie.
© Henry Burton / Macaulay LibraryOregon, March 19, 2017Similar SpeciesCommon Raven
Adult
Common Ravens are larger with a heftier bill than Black-billed Magpies and they don't have any white on them like magpies.
© Brian Sullivan / Macaulay LibraryCalifornia, January 14, 2007Similar SpeciesCanada Jay
Adult (Northern)
Canada Jays are smaller than Black-billed Magpies and they are mostly gray, not black. They have a much smaller bill and lack the magpie's very long tail and big white patches in the wings.
© Vitalii Khustochka / Macaulay LibraryManitoba, October 29, 2016Similar SpeciesClark's Nutcracker
Adult/immature
Clark's Nutcrackers have a short tail and a gray belly and back, not a white belly and black back like Black-billed Magpies.
© David Hollie / Macaulay LibraryColorado, June 05, 2010Compare with Similar Species
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Species in This Family
Crows, Jays, and Magpies(Order: Passeriformes, Family: Corvidae)
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