Not so sorrowful...

I'm a big fan of magpies, I think they get a really hard press. All this "one for sorrow" nonsense just gives them a bad name, in fact in China they're seen as bringers of good luck. Yeah, so they eat the young of other birds, but this is nature, and it's tough out there!

I love their Latin name, pica pica, I love their machine-gun chatter, I love the little hoppy run they do. They're very intelligent birds, as far as I know the only non-mammal known to recognise itself in a mirror. There's a little video on this page that shows one trying to remove a sticker under its beak when it sees it in its reflection, I just think that's amazing!

And look at those markings, what a gorgeous looking animal :)