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Melodic magpie song?

Jean
15/07/2016 21:49
Hi all, I heard a rich, melodic bird call in our garden today. It almost sounded like a blackbird, but when I looked up to where the call was coming from, I saw a magpie, probably a young one. Bird guides often refer to the typical clacking, clattering magpie call. Just wondering if anyone else has heard a more melodic song from a magpie. It was beautiful to listen to. Thanks, Jean
  • 22/09/2016 19:38

    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.

  • 14/01/2017 22:42 in reply to Charlotte A

    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.

  • 15/01/2017 01:52 in reply to ellemoonie

    Clare and I have both heard magpies whistling - crows as well.

    "Birds are, quite simply, little miracles - and as such they require care and consideration."

    Magnus Ullman

    My Flickr account is here


  • 15/01/2017 03:28 in reply to Limpy

    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?

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • 15/01/2017 15:43 in reply to Clare

    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!!

    Best wishes

    Hazel in Southwest France

  • 15/01/2017 15:51 in reply to Noisette

    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!

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • 15/01/2017 16:20 in reply to Clare

    I have a female Hooded Crow in the garden that does a very good Collared Dove impression, very confusing.

    Kind regards

    Jenny

  • 15/01/2017 17:20 in reply to nairnred

    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.

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.

  • 15/01/2017 17:42 in reply to Clare

    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.

    Kind regards

    Jenny

  • 15/01/2017 17:53 in reply to nairnred

    nairnred said:
    Then Dad comes and chases the Gulls away to get the food for her.

    I've never seen gulls put up a fight when it comes to crows.  I sometimes wonder if there's a mutual respect thing going on there.  I sometime see the local fishermen throw scraps of fish out, and the gulls (naturally) will be straight in there.  You generally get a few crows as well, but you're far more likely to see the gulls attacking their own kind to get the fish, while the smaller crows are left alone by them.  Interesting.

    Our herring gulls are red listed birds.  Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.