Summary

Known to be scavengers with a love for collecting shiny objects, magpies will often steal rings and other glittering jewelry that have been left on windowsills. They have much lore connected to them, and are sometimes regarded as bearers of ill omen, as well as being associated with the devil. There are rituals, poems and salutations to the magpie, to ward off their devilish influence. They are also the only bird species—and one of only a few animal species—that can recognize their own reflection in a mirror.