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Black-billed (American) magpie        Images © Mark A. Chappell

Black-billed magpies (now called American magpies), with their distinctive black-and-white plumage and long tails, are common in much of North America; a very similar species is in Eurasia and the smaller and more colorful yellow-billed magpie is found in central California.   The youngsters (below) were living in Seward, Alaska; the adults in Anchorage, Alaska, near Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada, and near Reno, Nevada.

  • Canon 10D or 1D4, 500 mm f4 IS lens plus 2X converter or 800 mm IS lens, some with 1.4X converter (2004, 2011)