Magpies appear to be flourishing at the moment and on many mornings in our garden in Rye Harbour we have over six foraging for food, and that’s a lot of saluting. Viewing a solitary magpie is seen as a sign of bad luck. Over the ages people have used different ways to ward off the misfortune that people think the magpies bring including saluting the bird, saying “Good morning, general” or “Good morning, captain”, doffing one’s hat to it and spitting three times over your shoulder. In Somerset they say that people should carry an onion at all times to ward off any evil that a magpie might bring.
When our generation was growing up it was taught the rhyme “One for sorrow, two for joy”, nowadays it’s more like, “eleven for a cricket team”!
Magpie numbers in Britain and Ireland, in suburban areas, have quadrupled in the last thirty-five years. Why is this? The birds have a year-round food source of food from road kills, and other food sources in gardens, such as fruit and vegetables. The magpies are also adaptable and have bounced back from earlier routine killing.
The magpie is one of our most distinctive wild birds with its black plumage, white flanks, belly, and wing patches, Looking more closely one can see the black feathers actually take on a purplish-blue hue and the tail has a green gloss to it.
In China, a singing magpie is thought to bring good fortune and is considered to be a symbol of happiness and luck. Koreans think that the bird delivers good news, and the Mongolians think it is smart enough to control the weather. A magpie feather is worn as a sign of fearlessness by native Americans.
Image Credits: Kt bruce .
What an interesting article. It’s very true that magpie numbers have increased hugely in recent years which is not exactly appreciated by garden birds and also by the good folk who put out bird feeding tables for the small birds in their gardens As magpies are voracious predators.
Sadly, however smart magpies look, they take eggs and small baby birds from their nests. Countrymen, gardeners and song bird lovers really don’t like ‘em!
I do believe crows are much worse then magpies, where I live the crows watch where the magpies nest and as soon as they lay their eggs crows are on them like a flash, hence not many magpies where I live,shame because do like magpies.
One of my cats suffered a savage attack by one or more rooks/crows/magpies some years back. Stab wounds all down one flank and an innate fear of big birds forever after. I used to feed the cats in my back porch and actually saw rooks flying in there to scavenge. Needless to say fed indoors now. That said, my children’s books ‘The Magpie Sagas’ sold rather well and did make me a bit of dosh so I do have a grudging liking for Magpies.