Black-billed Magpie

Also known as American Magpie

Black-billed magpies are highly social and inquisitive corvids that build enormous, domed stick nests equipped with two exits for quick escapes. They frequently gather around large ungulates to glean ticks and parasites directly from their backs, forming mutually beneficial foraging partnerships. Their iridescent blue and green feathers flash vividly in flight as they navigate Western river bottoms and sagebrush steppes.