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Eurasian Magpie
Pica pica
Silhouette: PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyCorvidae (Crows, Jays, and Magpies)
- GenusPica (True Magpies)
- SpeciesPica pica (Eurasian Magpie)
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
62 Verified sightings at Vanoise National Park From 2019 to 2026
16,222 In all 28 parks
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Eurasian Magpie
The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (Pica pica) is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) that are designated as magpies, and it belongs to the Holarctic radiation of "monochrome" magpies. In Europe, the term "magpie" is used by English speakers as a synonym for the Eurasian magpie; the only other species of magpie in Europe is the Iberian magpie (Cyanopica cooki), which is restricted to the Iberian Peninsula. Despite sharing a name and similar colouration, they are not closely related to the Australian magpie, which is an artamid, only sharing the same clade (Corvides).
The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent birds. The expansion of its nidopallium is approximately the same in its relative size as the brains of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans. It is one of the few bird species known to pass the mirror test.
The magpie was first described and illustrated by the Swiss naturalist Conrad Gessner in his Historiae animalium of 1555. In 1758, Linnaeus included the species in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Eurasian Magpie in Vanoise National Park
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Barcelona Zoo | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Flamingo Land Resort | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Wildpark Schwarze Berge | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Edinburgh Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 6 | Zoo Aquarium de Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 7 | Aquarama Barcelona | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Budakeszi Game Preserve | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 9 | Bois de la Bâtie | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | |
| 10 | Blåvand Zoo | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 11 | Belgrade Zoo | 🇷🇸 Serbia | |
| 12 | Leintalzoo Schwaigern | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 13 | Heimatnaturgarten | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Closest Relatives at Vanoise National Park
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Eurasian Magpie in Vanoise National Park?
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Magpie sighting in Vanoise National Park on a given day, based on 62 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 81 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Eurasian Magpie in Vanoise National Park?
June
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Eurasian Magpie in Vanoise National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August–September and December–January, the lowest months. November has too few records to rate.
What time of day is best to see a Eurasian Magpie?
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eurasian Magpie sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Is Vanoise National Park the best place to see a Eurasian Magpie?
15th of 28
Of the 28 parks where we can rate Eurasian Magpie sightings, Vanoise National Park ranks 15th at about 30%. The best odds are in Hemis National Park (India, about 80%), Gauja National Park (Latvia, about 70%) and Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 60%). All parks ranked.
Which relatives of the Eurasian Magpie live in Vanoise National Park?
Same family: Corvidae
The closest relatives of the Eurasian Magpie that you can see in Vanoise National Park (family Corvidae, Crows, Jays, and Magpies) are Alpine Chough (about 70%), Carrion Crow (about 50%) and Common Raven (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Eurasian Magpie sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eurasian Magpie is recorded against all the birds logged in Vanoise National Park (62 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
