`````` BTO - Breeding Birds of the Wider Countryside: Magpie
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MAGPIE
Pica pica
 Magpie © Tommy Holden
 

• Population
  changes

• Productivity
  trends

• Additional
  information
Conservation listings
Europe: no SPEC category (favourable conservation status in Europe, not concentrated in Europe)
UK: green
Long-term trend
UK, England: rapid increase
UK population size
650,000 territories in 2000 (1988–91 Atlas estimate updated using CBC/BBS trend: BiE04, APEP06)
Status summary
The remarkable adaptability of Magpies has enabled them to colonise many new urban and suburban localities since the 1960s. Magpies increased steadily until the late 1980s, when abundance stabilised (Gregory & Marchant 1996). Minor decrease has been recorded in the UK during the last five years. The declines in nest failure rates, during both the egg and the chick stages, have been substantial, perhaps as human persecution of nests has diminished. Larsen traps, introduced to the UK in the late 1980s, are now widely used by gamekeepers as a control measure. Clutch sizes, however, have decreased. A strong trend towards earlier laying has also been identified and may be partly explained by recent climate change (Crick & Sparks 1999).
 

Population changes
CBC/BBS UK graph
 
Table of population changes for Magpie

Source Period
(yrs)		 Years Plots
(n)		 Change
(%)		 Lower
limit		 Upper
limit		 Alert Comment
CBC/BBS UK 38 1967-2005 581 102 67 158    
  25 1980-2005 814 32 18 45    
  10 1995-2005 1676 -3 -7 0    
  5 2000-2005 1749 -7 -10 -4    
CBC/BBS England 38 1967-2005 493 105 64 157    
  25 1980-2005 687 37 24 52    
  10 1995-2005 1400 -4 -7 0    
  5 2000-2005 1434 -6 -8 -3    
BBS UK 10 1995-2005 1584 -2 -6 3    
  5 2000-2005 1727 -7 -9 -4    
BBS England 10 1995-2005 1315 -3 -6 2    
  5 2000-2005 1414 -5 -8 -3    
BBS Scotland 10 1995-2005 37 23 -5 61    
  5 2000-2005 42 2 -14 20    
BBS Wales 10 1995-2005 150 -16 -25 -8    
  5 2000-2005 174 -17 -26 -8    
BBS N.Ireland 10 1995-2005 71 29 0 59    
  5 2000-2005 86 -6 -17 5    

BBS acknowledgement
 
CBC/BBS England graph
BBS UK graph
BBS England graph
BBS Scotland graph
BBS Wales graph
BBS N Ireland graph
 

Productivity trends
Table of productivity changes for Magpie

Variable Period
(yrs)		 Years Mean
annual
sample		 Trend Modelled
in first year		 Modelled
in 2005		 Change Comment
Clutch size 37 1968-2005 46 Curvilinear 5.59 eggs 4.52 eggs -19.1%  
Brood size 37 1968-2005 80 Curvilinear 3.05 chicks 2.81 chicks -7.9%  
Daily failure rate (eggs) 37 1968-2005 52 Linear decline 2.77% nests/day 0.29% nests/day -89.5%  
Daily failure rate (chicks) 37 1968-2005 51 Linear decline 1.72% nests/day 0.14% nests/day -91.9%  
Laying date 37 1968-2005 36 Curvilinear Apr 21 Mar 22 -30 days  

 
Clutch size graph
Brood size graph
Egg nest failure graph
Chick nest failure graph
Laying date graph

 

 

Insufficient data on CES
available for this species
 

Additional information
BTO blue divider
BirdWeb logo, click to go to BirdWeb

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This report should be cited as:
Baillie, S.R., Marchant, J.H., Crick, H.Q.P., Noble, D.G., Balmer, D.E., Barimore, C., Coombes, R.H.,
Downie, I.S., Freeman, S.N., Joys, A.C., Leech, D.I., Raven, M.J., Robinson, R.A. & Thewlis, R.M. (2007)
Breeding Birds in the Wider Countryside: their conservation status 2007.
BTO Research Report No. 487. BTO, Thetford. (http://www.bto.org/birdtrends)

Pages maintained by Susan Waghorn and Iain Downie: Last updated 3 January, 2008