Birds collecting random objects is a fascinating behavior that has been observed in several bird species. The most well known type of bird that does this is the magpie. Magpies are corvids, a family of birds that includes crows, ravens, and jays. These birds are known for their intelligence and complex behaviors.
Why Do Magpies Collect Shiny Objects?
Magpies have a strong attraction to shiny, colorful, and reflective objects. They will actively seek out and collect items such as pieces of metal, mirrors, jewelry, aluminum foil, and more. Researchers have proposed several possible explanations for this unusual collecting behavior:
- Magpies are naturally attracted to bright, flashy objects which stand out in their environment.
- Collecting eye-catching objects may help magpies impress and attract mates during breeding season.
- They may mistake some shiny objects for food sources.
- As intelligent birds, magpies could collect various objects just for entertainment or curiosity.
- Shiny objects may be gathered as status symbols to display dominance and strength against competitors.
- Magpies may cache shiny items near their nests to deter predators.
The exact reason why magpies love collecting shiny stuff remains unknown. It’s likely a combination of multiple innate behaviors and motivations that drives this habit.
What Other Types of Items Do Magpies Collect?
While magpies have a clear obsession with shiny, reflective objects, they will gather all kinds of random items that catch their interest. Here are some other common things magpies have been observed collecting:
- Pieces of glass
- Plastic items like bottle caps, bread tags, and small toys
- Shells, pebbles, and other small natural objects
- Keys
- Coins
- Pieces of brightly colored fabric or yarn
- Small metal screws, nails, nuts, and bolts
- Jewelry and accessories like rings and necklaces
- Silverware
- Scissors
- Broken bits of porcelain or pottery
- Bottle caps
- Pull tabs from cans
- Small bells and buttons
- Beads
- Marbles
- Crystals and gemstones
If it’s small, eye-catching, and shiny, a magpie will probably pick it up and take it back to its nest. They especially seem to like objects that are bright blue or have reflective mirror-like surfaces.
Do Other Birds Also Collect Random Objects?
Magpies are not the only birds with this quirky habit of collecting random shiny and interesting objects. Some other examples include:
- Bowerbirds – Bowerbirds build elaborate structures called bowers to attract mates. They decorate their bowers with collections of bright and colorful objects like flowers, fruit, shells, feathers, stones, glass, plastic, and more.
- Crows – Like their close corvid relatives the magpies, crows are also intelligent birds that often steal and cache shiny objects.
- Jays – Jays like blue jays and Eurasian jays also occasionally collect small bright objects.
- Ravens – Common ravens are known for their curiosity and have been observed gathering glittering trinkets like ring tabs.
- Seabirds – Seabirds like gulls are drawn to garbage and litter. They will scavenge bottle caps, pull tabs, plastic bits, and other debris to line their nests.
However, no other bird seems to compulsively collect random items to the extent magpies do. Their nests are notoriously overflowing with vast collections of eclectic objects!
How Do Magpies Find and Carry All These Objects?
Magpies rely on their sharp eyesight and constantly scavenging behavior to find small shiny objects wherever they go. They forage on the ground looking for anything that catches their eye. Magpies also observe human behavior and have learned that we tend to litter, drop coins and jewelry, and leave other tantalizing trinkets accessible.
Magpies use their strong beaks to grab and carry objects back to their nests. They may stash some treasures along the way and return later to retrieve them. Females have a special pouch in their throats allowing them to comfortably carry larger items.
Where Do Magpies Keep Their Collected Objects?
Magpies build large domed nests high up in trees using sticks and mud. Inside the nests they create special compartments to stash all their collected treasures. Each new item is meticulously placed according to some magpie organizing logic we can’t comprehend! The shiny objects are neatly arranged in piles surrounding the inner nest chamber.
How Large are Magpie Nest Collections?
Over time, a magpie nest becomes overstuffed with a staggering variety of random objects. Magpies continually add to their hoarded mishmash of items throughout the year. Documented magpie nest collections contain anywhere from a few dozen objects up to over 1,000 items!
One nest examined in Scotland contained:
- 516 foil candy wrappers
- 212 bottle caps
- 185 pieces of glass
- 158 plastic bread tags
- 83 pieces of metal
- 26 toy wheels
- 16 pieces of crockery
Another huge nest studied in Canada was packed with over 1,200 assorted objects weighing 2.2 pounds (1 kg). This included Christmas decorations, keys, jewelry, a clothespin, nails, rings, washers, legos, buttons, and much more!
Do Magpies Reuse Old Nests and Collections?
Magpies build a completely new nest each year, abandoning their old nests after raising chicks. Sometimes they may repair and reuse very sturdy old nests. Either way, the magpies don’t retrieve their stashed collections from previous years. So those objects remain entombed in old abandoned nests unless humans dismantle them.
What Happens to Magpie Nest Collections Over Time?
As magpies keep adding random objects, their nests can become extremely heavy. Nest collapses aren’t uncommon. Stormy wind and weather, combative magpies fighting over nest sites, or predator attacks can also cause old nests to come crashing down.
Fallen magpie nests split open to reveal years or decades worth of collected treasures spilling out. Most of these human-made materials don’t biodegrade. So the shiny objects become litter again unless people clean them up. Some unique large magpie nests have been preserved in museums or by private collectors.
Do Magpies Steal Valuables and Cause Problems?
There are many anecdotal stories of magpies pilfering small valuables like jewelry or keys and causing minor nuisances. However, scientists who have studied magpie behavior extensively say they do not purposefully target high-value items. Their pilfering is mostly opportunistic.
Research confirms magpies are typically drawn to abundant low-value trash items like bottle caps and aluminum foil. Such litter poses no significant economic loss when taken. Magpies can accidentally grab something valuable if it’s highly visible. But they apparently don’t recognize the monetary worth of human objects.
That said, their indiscriminate collecting habits do cause some problems:
- Magpie nest debris falling to the ground can pose safety risks.
- They may sometimes steal important individual items like keys.
- Their rummaging and theft can annoy some people.
- Old nests contain hazardous sharp objects that can cut or poke whoever tries dismantling them.
Overall though, any “thieving” magpies do provides more amusement than actual hardship for us humans. And it gives us a fascinating glimpse into the strange workings of the magpie mind!
Why Do Magpies Find Human Trash So Alluring?
Researchers have speculated on why magpies obsess over human garbage:
- Our modern waste contains an endless supply of new, flashy items magpies are instinctively drawn to.
- Easy availability lets them opportunistically grab whatever looks interesting.
- Familiarity over generations may imprint them to associate human habitats with treasure trove items.
- They learn that litter lacks value to humans, so it’s not guarded and easy to steal.
- The magpie urge to collect is a nearly unstoppable compulsion.
The sad truth is our human carelessness provides unlimited fodder for the magpie hoarding instinct run amok! But their nest curiosities do provide charming entertainment.
Do Magpies Ever Use Collected Objects as Tools?
Magpies belong to a select group of animals able to use tools. Their problem-solving intelligence is impressive. There are reports of magpies occasionally using bits of human litter in innovative ways:
- A magpie was seen dropping nuts onto a road and letting cars crack them open before collecting the kernel.
- Magpies may wedge difficult to open snail shells into chinks in branches, then hammer away to crack them.
- They have used small rocks or pieces of litter to raise the water level in containers to drink from them.
- Magpies have dropped sticks and stones onto threatening cats or dogs as defensive weapons.
However, such purposeful tool use seems rare. Most items magpies gather probably don’t serve any practical function beyond satisfying their compulsive collecting urge. The shiny objects themselves seem to be the real treasure, rather than any possible tool applications.
Do Magpies Understand the Value of Money?
Magpies appear highly attracted to coins and frequently steal them. But scientists don’t believe magpies understand the human monetary system or the worth of cash. Like other items, they just think coins are interesting bits of shiny metal.
Researchers tested magpies’ perception of money in an experiment where the birds could choose between a coin and an equivalent treat like a peanut half. The magpies showed no preference, confirming they don’t recognize the use or trade value of currency.
Conclusion
Magpies are truly one of the most intriguing birds when it comes to their obsessive collecting habits. The eclectic mix of random objects accumulating in their nests provides a captivating snapshot of not just magpie behavior, but also our own human consumer culture. Next time you spy a magpie, keep an eye peeled for the shiny treasures it may be gathering!