The yellow-billed magpie (Pica nuttalli), also known as the California magpie, is a large corvid that inhabits California's Central Valley and the adjacent chaparral foothills and mountains. Apart from its having a yellow bill and a yellow streak around the eye, it is virtually identical to the black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia) found in much of the rest of North America.
The scientific name commemorates the English naturalist Thomas Nuttall.
Yellow-billed magpie
With black-tailed deer in California
The black-billed magpie, also known as the American magpie, is a bird in the corvid family found in the western half of North America. It is black and white, with the wings and tail showing black areas and iridescent hints of blue and blue-green. It was once thought to be a subspecies of the Eurasian magpie, but was placed into its own species in 2000 based on genetic studies.
Black-billed magpie
A pair of magpies showing iridescent blue-green wings and tail
A juvenile with grey irises and slightly visible pink mouth-lining
An abandoned nest seen in the fall