Birders from all around the globe often come to central and northern California to observe a member of the corvid family that exists nowhere else on the planet. The yellow-billed magpie (Pica nuttelli) is not only native to the Golden State but has never taken up residence anywhere beyond state lines.
Even as it shines in exclusivity, the bird’s stay-at-home tendency and gregarious nature have caused it problems that are existential in kind. As California’s human population grew, transforming thousands of acres of native habitat into housing and other development, the bird’s numbers declined.
But it was Mother Nature herself that nearly caused the bird’s extinction when she unleased the West Nile virus that found its way to California in early 2000.
Crows, jays and magpies, being members of the same taxonomic family, all reacted to the mosquito-borne virus in the same way – they died. West Nile wiped out half of the state’s yellow-billed magpies, habitat loss took its share and by 2015 there remained only 24 percent of the number of birds that were here in the late 1960s. There was concern that California and the world might lose the yellow-billed magpie forever.
Native domain for the bird is oak woodlands near plains but magpies have adapted to living in orchards near ag fields and in some suburban areas. They prefer to nest high in trees and close to others of their kind, a distinct disadvantage during a West Nile epidemic.
Common trees in the magpie’s habitat include Valley and blue oak, sycamore, Fremont cottonwood and various species of willow — trees that will provide the right spot for building a nest at a height of about 47 feet.
Yellow-billed magpies feed on the ground most of the time. They are visual hunters and will often walk around in search of prey. However, their visual acuity allows them to spot a meal while on the wing or from an elevated perch.
There is folklore that states goats will eat anything, including tin cans (a spurious claim). Old yellow bill might have the same claim to fame in the avian world as its diet spans the taxonomic range.
On the bird’s menu are insects of all sorts, other invertebrates including worms and larvae of many species, spiders, dog food, carrion, trash, live rodents and eggs — and those are just the entrees. Magpies have been seen picking ticks off the backs of deer and flipping “cow pies” to get at the bugs that live under them.
What’s for dessert? How about wild berries, grapes, figs, all sorts of grains and acorns in season. The list goes on and because the birds are not picky eaters probably has much to do with their ability to survive in an ever-changing environment.
Merced County has its share of magpie flocks. One on Westside Boulevard near Livingston is thriving in an almond orchard near acres of wine grapes. Nearer Los Banos, yellow-bills are often seen along Henry Miller Road west of Highway 165. The birds seem to prefer local urban-wildland interface to strictly refuge habitat, but one needs to keep a sharp eye out for the yellow-bill because one never knows where the flashy black-and-white-feathered bird will show.
The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, Merced National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge comprise the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its headquarters and visitor center are located just north of Los Banos off Highway 165 at 7376 South Wolfsen Road.
The refuges are open to visitors daily from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday except federal holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the refuge visitor center at 209-826-3508, ext. 127 or check out the upcoming events on the website at fws.gov/refuge/san-luis.
