Hello Jean, A typical magpie song is chattering with croaking and nasal noises and the call, as you described, is a clacking sound. However corvids can mimic. Therefore yes magpies may produce a melodic song but it is not a common noise that they would make.
Yes, I've read magpies warble occasionally (and there is a link somewhere on these forums), but they've never graced me with more than chatters.
Clare and I have both heard magpies whistling - crows as well.
I was once topping up the feeders at Minsmere when a magpie landed. It started calling, alternating between a soft whistle and a soft cackle while I was busy - when I left it was straight in there! I wonder if it was telling me to hurry up?
Magpies are great mimics, they do the Golden Oriole song very well in the summer & in the winter when I used to work on the vines, they mimicked the sound of electric secateurs so well that I was forever looking around to see who was working nearby!!
I think most, if not all corvids are good mimics. A couple of winters ago the staff at Dyfi heard what sounded like a mobile phone going off in the nest - it turned out to be one of the local ravens!
I have a female Hooded Crow in the garden that does a very good Collared Dove impression, very confusing.
How lovely. I haven't seen a hoodie since 2013......sigh.
How do you tell the female from the male? I can only tell crows apart if they're mating.
This one has been around for several years and is only missing when sitting on eggs. Then Dad comes and chases the Gulls away to get the food for her. Dad isn't as well marked as her.
nairnred said:Then Dad comes and chases the Gulls away to get the food for her.