Cyprus -Nature- Birds - The Magpie

The magpie is a resident bird which belongs to the Corvidae family. The sharply contrasting black and white plumage reveals a green and purple floss on closer inspection. In a strong wind, its remarkably long black tail is iridescent with green and bronze while the white feathers at the base of each wing give the magpie a striking appearance in flight.

Although the magpie may be encountered in all parts of the island which are lightly wooded, it shuns the larger towns, preferring the vicinity of the villages. Nests are placed in carob-trees and other low glowing trees and are made of sticks, Iined with earth and usually covered with a dome. The normal clutch is five egg but it also acts as host to the great spotted cuckoo's eggs. Young magpies can be easily tamed and trained to imitate sounds or utter words just like parrots. In the hot season, magpies bully the donkeys grazing in the fields; alighted on their backs they keep pecking their cuts, wounds or corns continually pestering them. They spend much time feeding on the ground or hopping around. In the Cypriot folklore there is a story, similar to one of Aesop's fables, referring to the magpies (katsikorwva or katsikoutala in the Cypriot dialect) gawky steps.