American Magpie 283 



157 ; Aiken 72, p. 204 ; Trippe 74, p. 213 ; Henshaw 75, p. 334 ; 

 Scott 79, p. 94 ; Drew 81, p. 139 ; 85, p. 16 ; Stone 81, p. 45 ; Allen & 

 Brewster 83, p. 193 ; Beckham 85, p. 142 ; Dille 86, p. 7 ; 88, p. 23 ; 

 Morrison 87, p. 197 ; 88, p, 197 ; 89, p. 147 ; Kellogg 90, p. 88 ; Bendire 

 92, p. 349 ; Lowe 94, p. 268 ; McGregor 97, p. 38 ; Cooke 97, pp. 89, 

 210 ; Keyser 02, p. 40 ; Henderson 03, p. 235 ; 09, p. 233 ; Dille 03, 

 p. 74 ; Markman 07, p. 157 ; Warren 07, p. 5 ; 08, p. 22 ; 09, p. 15 ; 

 Gilman 07, p. 155 ; H. G. Smith 08, p. 186 ; Rockwell 98, p. 168. 



Description. — Adult — Head, neck, chest (with concealed white 

 bsises), back, lesser wing-coverts and abdomen black, crown and back 

 slightly glossed with metallic ; scapulars and lower-breast white ; 

 wings and tail metallic, steely-blue or green, less metallic on the primaries 

 which are extensively white on the inner web ; bill, bare spot round eye 

 and legs black ; iris brown, with a greyish outer ring (blue in auttman 

 apud Aiken). Length 18 ; wing 8 ; tail 10-5 ; culmen 1-2 ; tarsus 1'9. 



The young bird resembles the adult, but is generally duller and 

 less metallic, the white throat spots are larger and more conspicuous, 

 and the white of the scapulars and breast are tinged with sooty. 



Distribution. — The American Magpie is found throughout western 

 North America, except in the coast and interior valleys of California, 

 extending from Alaska to western Texas and Arizona, and eastwards 

 to the western portion of the great plains. 



In Colorado the Magpie is a common resident almost every"where, 

 but specially along the eastern foothills and in the mountain parks, 

 from 6,000 to 8,000 feet ; above this it becomes rarer, though recorded 

 by Scott from Twin Lakes — 9,300 feet — as a rare breeder, by Lowe 

 from 10,000 feet in the Wet Mountains, and by Carter from Brecken- 

 ridge at 10,500 feet, while Aiken teUs me it is a resident all the year 

 round at about timber line on Pikes Peak ; east of the foothills it is 

 less common, though apparently extending to the extreme eastern 

 limit of the State — Julesburg, February, and Holly, December 

 (Smith, 08). In winter it has been found as high as 9,000 feet. 



The American Magpie only differs from the European bird in its 

 slightly larger size, and the lesser development of the setaceous shafts 

 on its throat. 



Habits. — The Magpie is one of the most conspicuous 

 birds in Colorado ; its bold ways, its slow and rather 

 laboured flight, and its size and colouring, all rendering 

 it most noticeable. It is generally seen in pairs or small 

 family parties, and is almost omnivorous, feeding on seeds, 

 insects, and carrion, while it is a very persistent robber 



