Black-billed Magpie

The black-billed magpie, Pica hudsonia, is a flashy, resourceful, and bold bird that occupies a disjointed range that includes southern Alaska, the Alaska peninsula, and a large area approximately delineated by the following: south of southwestern Canada, west of the Great Plains, east of the Cascades and Sierra Nevadas, and north of Arizona and New Mexico. It is commonly found in the valleys and foothills of northern Utah. It is not considered migratory, but after breeding, individuals may move great distances from nesting sites. Black-billed magpies forage on the ground for arthropods, seeds, and dead animals. In addition, they also forage for insects directly off of live deer and moose, and they have even been known to pull flesh off of living animals.