the.com/magpie
the only bird that might recognize itself in a mirror and judge what it sees
means A black-and-white bird of the crow family, known for its loud chatter and its reputation for snatching shiny objects.
from Originally just the "pie," from Old French 'pie' and Latin 'pica,' the name for this bird. Later it picked up "Mag" — a familiar short form of Margaret, a name once slapped on chatty, gossipy women — the same impulse that gave us 'jenny wren' and 'robin redbreast.' So a magpie is, quite literally, a "Maggie the pie": a bird scolded for talking too much. The black-and-white treats called 'magpie' and the human "magpie" who hoards trinkets both nest in that same image of the bustling, acquisitive chatterer.
- mirror test
- Passed self-recognition, a rare club among animals
- thief myth
- Studies show they actually fear shiny objects
- funerals
- Observed gathering around their dead, laying grass
- memory
- Remember individual human faces for years
- group name
- A gathering is called a parliament
australian magpie — bird species native to australia known for swooping attacks during breeding season, particularly aggressive in spring
eurasian magpie — widespread species across europe and asia, famous for stealing shiny objects and caching behavior