Eurasian Magpie vs Great Tit
Pica pica compared with Parus major
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Attribute | Eurasian Magpie | Great Tit |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Pica pica | Parus major |
| Order | Passeriformes | Passeriformes |
| Family | Corvidae | Paridae |
| Conservation Status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Length | 46.0 cm (18.1 in) | 14.0 cm (5.5 in) |
| Wingspan | 56.0 cm (22.0 in) | 24.0 cm (9.4 in) |
| Weight | 220.0 g (7.76 oz) | 18.0 g (0.63 oz) |
| Diet | Omnivorous — insects, grains, berries, carrion, eggs, and nestlings. Caches surplus food for later retrieval. | Insects and spiders in summer, seeds and nuts in winter. A frequent and dominant visitor … |
| Clutch Size | 2-8 | 3-18 |
| Population Trend | — | — |
Size Comparison
Habitat Comparison
Eurasian Magpie
Open woodland, farmland, hedgerows, parks, and gardens. Common in suburban and urban environments across Eurasia.
Great Tit
Deciduous and mixed woodland, parks, gardens, and hedgerows. Readily uses nest boxes. Highly adaptable to human environments.
Song & Call Comparison
Eurasian Magpie
A harsh, rapid chattering 'chach-chach-chach'. Also gives a variety of whistles and clucking notes. Known to mimic other birds and sounds. Very vocal in pairs.
Great Tit
A repetitive, teacher-teacher 'tee-cher, tee-cher, tee-cher'. Also gives ringing 'pink-pink' alarm. Highly versatile singer; over 40 song variants recorded from a single male.
Geographic Range & Migration
Eurasian Magpie
Europe, Asia, and northwest Africa. One of the most recognizable birds across the Palearctic region.
Great Tit
Widespread across Europe and Asia from Britain to Japan, and south to North Africa and Southeast Asia.
Conservation Status
Eurasian Magpie
Great Tit
How to Tell Them Apart
Eurasian Magpie
Bold black and white pattern with iridescent blue-green gloss on the wings and long graduated tail. White scapulars and flanks contrast with the black body.
Strong, straight black bill
Great Tit
Blue-black head with white cheeks. Olive-green back, yellow underparts with a broad black central stripe. White wing bar and blue-grey tail.
Short, stout, dark bill
About These Birds
Eurasian Magpie
The Eurasian magpie is one of the most intelligent animals on Earth and the first non-mammal demonstrated to recognize itself in a mirror. These bold corvids build elaborate domed nests of sticks and have a well-known attraction to shiny objects, though this reputation may be exaggerated.
Great Tit
The great tit is the largest European tit and one of the most studied wild birds in the world. Research at Wytham Woods in Oxford has monitored great tit populations since the 1940s, contributing enormously to ecology and evolution. These innovative birds famously learned to open milk bottle tops in 20th-century Britain.