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Magpies are a member of the intelligent crow family, there are about 17 species of magpies, and they are found all over the world. The most common magpies on the continent are the Eurasian magpie and the common magpie.
Like all crows, magpies are very shrewd and intelligent birds. In fact, scientists believe that magpies are among the most intelligent creatures on Earth, that they can accurately identify themselves in a mirror and solve problems that require advanced logic and creativity.
And the wisdom of magpies is also on full display in their nests, which are usually large, sturdy, and well-designed. Unlike most open nests, many magpies build domed nests with side doors. The dome is cemented together with mud and moss and can take weeks to build.
Today we will talk about the magpie's nest.
Magpie's nest
Magpies are not very popular with many birds. While they rarely use their young to occupy other birds' nests like cuckoos, magpies also attack and eat other birds' pups and eggs. These are, of course, natural behaviors, and in most cases, magpies and other crows do not usually reduce the number of songbirds in their habitat. In fact, some studies have found that magpies and crows have instead increased the number of local songbirds.
The magpie is a highly adaptable bird with a variety of nesting sites, but magpies have a preference for nesting locations, they prefer to inhabit tall and dense trees and thorny bushes, and they generally prefer to nest in tall trees over 10 meters.
While magpies are most common in rural, semi-rural, and agricultural settings, they also often nest in towns, cities, and parks. In these cases, magpies usually give up on building their preferred domed nest in favor of a simpler nest with an open top.
One study found that about 30% of the nests were open, rather than dome-shaped.
The magpie's nest is large, thick and dome-shaped, with a well-built nest built by a pair of experienced magpies about 50-75 cm wide and tall.
They are made of twigs and sticks and have a mud cup inside. Yes, it's really made of mud, and this mud cup is usually built first, and the dirt can be used to hold the initial structure to the tree. The domed magpie's nest has side doors and looks a bit like a wooden house hanging from a tree.
Magpies in the Northern Hemisphere begin nesting in the winter before the spring breeding season. As a result, they usually have nests by March at the latest. Female magpies usually lay their first nest in April, and female magpies build their nests until their young birds develop feathers. Most female magpies lay only one litter per year.
The nests that have been built with such great effort are naturally cherished, and most of the magpies are settled and spend most of the year in the nests.
How do magpies build their nests?
Magpies are really very intelligent birds, and their nests are very well built. The two magpies work together to build their nests, and the male usually transports the material to the nest when the female is nesting. Once there is enough material inside the nest, the two magpies build the nest together.
As mentioned briefly, most magpie nests start with a sturdy platform or mud cup, which allows the base of the nest to be fixed to the tree. After laying the foundation, the magpie will first build the dome out of branches and sticks, and the height from the base to the dome is about 75 centimeters. Once the dome is sealed from the top, the magpies use more dirt and moss to secure the structure of their nest. Finally, the inside of the nest is covered with moss, animal fur, feathers, and other soft materials.
Many things made by humans will be taken by magpies as building materials, so in many film and television works, there are plots of going to the magpie's nest to find lost items.
However, magpies have two construction modes, the first is to use dirt to lay the foundation first, and then build a nest on it; The second is to build a rough three-dimensional structure directly from branches and twigs, and then fill the inside. Although it is not clear why there are two schemes, scientists imagine that one model may be more advantageous than the other in a particular habitat.
Such a nest with construction logic is very strong and airtight, and can completely resist the invasion of wind, rain and snow, otherwise why would it take 1-8 weeks to build?
Why is there such a big difference in the time it takes for magpies to build their nests?
Although magpies will use their nests for a long time, if they don't keep their nests, they will be destroyed, it may be some bad-hearted animals, or bad-hearted humans, and strong natural disasters, so magpies will have to build their nests all over again. The nests built by the experienced magpies tend to be larger and stronger, and they are extremely efficient; Those newcomers need to be built by trial and error, and it will naturally take a long time.
In addition, some lazy magpies believe that the dome is not essential for the survival of the nest. As a result, they will directly build what we traditionally think of as open nests without roofs, which naturally do not take much time to build.
About 30%-40% of magpie nests will be reused and upgraded by magpies.
About the breeding of magpies
What is the lair built for? The main purpose is to breed offspring, so we definitely have to know a little bit about magpie breeding.
In most parts of the Northern Hemisphere, magpies lay their eggs during the typical spring breeding season, which lasts from late March to June-July. However, this is not certain, depending on the local climate and the species of magpies, their breeding season may be earlier or later, and even in subtropical and tropical regions, magpies may lay eggs all year round.
Magpies almost always produce only one litter. However, if their spawning action fails at the beginning of the season, they will usually try to lay a second litter. However, if there are too many magpies to breed in the same area, or if they can't find a suitable nesting site, the magpies are not so desperate and will choose to postpone their breeding plans until the following year. A study in the United Kingdom showed that as many as 25%-60% of magpies in a habitat in the United Kingdom had delayed breeding until the following year.
Female magpies lay 2-6 eggs, which are about 3.5 x 2.4 cm in size and appear to be pale blue or blue-green with olive-brown spots, usually concentrated at one end.
After about 17 days of incubation, the baby magpies are born, and they develop feathers after about 26-30 days, at which point they usually leave the nest and walk to nearby branches.
Baby magpies also live with their parents for 1-2 months and do not leave their parents' territory until autumn or winter after the breeding season. After that, the magpie family may live together for several years, and some baby magpies will even stay with their parents to help them raise their siblings for the coming year.