Why the Magpie?

Magpies are members of the Crow family (Corvidae, to be precise) and recognized cross-culturally as clever, curious, and oftentimes obnoxious, passerine creatures.

The black-billed magpie is our native species here in the USA. Located in the western half of the country, their most easterly location no nearer to New Hampshire than the midwestern states of North and South Dakota, magpies are recognizable by their gorgeous plumage, their elongated tails and their often relentless vocalizations.

When I lived out west for a brief period of time, I was captivated by the ‘pies that nested in a small aspen grove directly behind my Colorado cabin. I watched them often, intrigued by their interactions with the world.

Brave and boisterous, they would dive bomb my housemate’s dog, scold us for leaving the house with chatters, clucks and whistles and frequently attempt stealing the buttons from our clothes on the dry line unless shooed away intermittently. Sparkly objects were their weakness and I have fond memories of trying to lure one of the more curious of the tiding* using bits of string and a shiny bauble as bait.

Fishing for pies, I would tell my roomies, as I sat on the lawn below the tree, motivated by the idea of one day having a tuxedoed totem alight upon my shoulder. The birds, alas, never came closer than arm’s reach before taking to the branches and showering me with a cacophony of agitated zips and squawks. I have yet to acquire my magpie familiar, but they never got that bauble either.

I haven’t seen a magpie in the wild since my last visit to Washington State back in 2016, but rarely a day goes by that I am not reminded of their quizzical nature and unmatched beauty. A slip of light passing through a countertop vase elicits an unconscious sigh as it triggers a memory of their iridescent tail feathers under a bluebird sky. A curious tilt of the head observed in a human or canine makes my heart warm, remembering how the pies would come to the window and lean a beetle black eye close to the pane before shifting their glossy heads and peering in with the other.

The screech of a jay makes me recall their cackling caws while dining on some unsavory side of the road carnage. Opportunists and as such, consumers of trash, rubbish and carrion, magpies are glorious in every manner except their dining etiquette. Someone has to do the job of cleanup crew and my beautiful ‘pies are willing volunteers, showing little preference to an apple core over a decaying carcass. .

Magpies build nests like most bird species, but unlike the vast majority, their constructions include roofing. ‘Pies create domed structures from twigs, leaves, mud and branches with specific entryways into their cozy abode. From afar, they look like enormous squirrel dens, but in my opinion, a more manicured version. Another interesting feature that sets these avians apart is their social structure. Most passerine birds live seemingly independent lives. They group together for migration or congregate at feeders, but for the majority, are often observed as pairs or solo adventurers in their preferred habitat. Magpies, on the other hand, are very social creatures frequently observed in living colonies. Their constant chatter coupled with their tendency to steal from human neighbors, makes them both a source of amusement and also annoyance in urban and suburban settings.

So why is it I chose to use the magpie as the totem for my business? Check out this post and you’ll know why 🙂