Pica

Class Aves
Order Passeriformes
Family Corvidae

Pica hudsonia (Linnaeus 1758)—Black-billed Magpie

Synonyms. Pica pica.

Black-billed Magpies currently are distributed from Alaska south to the northern parts of New Mexico and Arizona and west to eastern California. In New Mexico, some move south in winter to about Socorro in the Rio Grande Valley and occasionally into the Sacramento Mountains (Ligon 1961).

Fig. 1. Black-billed Magpie. Photograph by Jim Rorabaugh, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Modern and fossil Black-billed Magpie tarsometatarsus Sites.

Fig. 2. Tarsometatarsus, Black-billed Magpie. First, fourth from left, and right bottom: Modern Black-billed Magpie (UTEP 2308); remainder, fossil specimen from U-Bar Cave (MNM 5689-99-23). Views: lateral, anterior, and proximal.

Mid Wisconsin: Pendejo Cave (Harris 2003).

Mid/Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Sierra Diablo Cave (UTEP).

Mid Wisconsin-Holocene: Shelter Cave (Howard and Miller 1933).

Late Wisconsin: Animal Fair 18-20 ka (Harris 1989); Marmot Cave (Brasso and Emslie 2006); Sandia Cave (Brasso and Emslie 2006); U-Bar Cave (Harris 1993c).

Late Wisconsin/Holocene: Stanton's Cave (Rea and Hargrave 1984).

Literature. Brasso and Emslie 2006; Harris 1989, 1993c, 2003; Howard and Miller 1933; Rea and Hargrave 1984.

Pica nuttalli (Audubon 1837)—Yellow-billed Magpie

Present occurrence is central and northern California.

Sites.

Wisconsin: Carpinteria (Guthrie 2009).

Mid/Late Wisconsin: Rancho La Brea (Stock and Harris 1992).

Literature. Guthrie 2009; Stock and Harris 1992.

Last Update: 27 Jun 2014