Black-billed Magpie Pecker

[Trent Watts]

I suspect the Audubon Society will not accept my new name for this species. I had never witnessed this behaviour in a Magpie before. It was moving up and down the dying spruce trees in a local park. It would get its beak under some bark and flick it off and search for insects. It looked very much like woodpecker behaviour without the head pounding and a much less efficient use of the tail as body support.

 

[AlanLichty]

I always thought of magpies as kind of a scavenger bird and can't say I have ever heard of them doing something like this before. I like the markings on the magpies in your area. The ones I used to see in Utah all the time weren't as distinctive as this one.

 

[Trent Watts]

Thanks Alan.. The colour in the tail is totally dependent on the light. Most of the time the tails just look black until they just flash in the light for a moment.

 

[Jeffrey]

Beautiful bird. Nice imaging!

 

[JimFox]

How interesting Trent! Great job on both images.