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Yellow-billed Magpie
This Californian corvid is quite the character.
© LC Boros
Yellow-billed Magpies are clever, colorful birds — and they’re only found in central California. Their hefty bodies are boldly patterned in black, white, and iridescent blue. Like their crow and jay cousins, these corvids are adventurous eaters that often forage on the ground in noisy groups. In California’s oak-dominated woods and grasslands, you’ll find them feasting on acorns, insects, grains, and anything else they can get their beaks on. Sadly, Yellow-billed Magpie populations have declined drastically in recent years. Now it’s up to us to step up and protect the remaining woodlands and savannas they need to thrive.
BirdNote is supported by Purgatory Auto Works and Dinosaur Farm, a small ranch in California transformed from a barren landscape to a vibrant oasis for wildlife. Learn more at Purgatory.org.
BirdNote®
Yellow-billed Magpie
Written by Ariana Remmel
This is BirdNote.
Yellow-billed Magpies are clever, colorful birds — and they’re only found in central California. Like their crow and jay cousins, these Golden State corvids are full of character.
[Yellow-billed Magpie]
Yellow-billed Magpies are hefty birds with long tails and sharp beaks. Their bodies are boldly patterned in black, white, and iridescent blue. They’re adventurous eaters that often forage on the ground in noisy groups. In California’s oak-dominated woods and grasslands, you’ll find them feasting on acorns, insects, grains, roadkill, dog food… anything they can get their bills on.
[Yellow-billed Magpie]
Sadly, Yellow-billed Magpie populations have declined drastically in recent years. Scientists estimate that roughly half the population was lost to West Nile Virus in the early 2000s. Today, they face threats from habitat loss and rodenticide poisoning.
These California corvids have shown that they can adapt to live alongside people. Now it’s up to us to step up and protect the woodlands and savannas they need to thrive.
[Yellow-billed Magpie]
For BirdNote, I’m Ariana Remmel.
BirdNote is supported by Purgatory Auto Works and Dinosaur Farm, a small ranch in California transformed from a barren landscape to a vibrant oasis for wildlife — like the Yellow-Billed Magpie. Learn more at purgatory.org.
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Senior Producer: Mark Bramhill
Producer: Sam Johnson
Managing Producer: Jazzi Johnson
Managing Producer: Ariana Remmel
Content Director: Jonese Franklin
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Yellow-billed Magpie ML51631101 recorded by Brian Sullivan, Yellow-billed Magpie ML52178941 and Yellow-billed Magpie ML435243271 recorded by Paul Marvin.
BirdNote’s theme was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
© 2026 BirdNote June 2026
Narrator: Ariana Remmel
ID# YBMA-02-2026-06-24 YBMA-02
Reference:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow-billed_Magpie/overview
https://birdsoftheworld.org/bow/species/yebmag/cur/introduction
Ariana Remmel
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