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Abstract

Previous studies of the biology of the Yellow-billed Magpie, a California endemic, have taken place principally in the oak woodlands of the Coast Ranges. So the study published in this issue of Western Birds, by Daniel Airola, Lily Douglas, and Layla Airola of the magpie's nesting ecology in urban Sacramento, provides a complementary perspective. The urban population around Sacramento region numbers at least 827 birds nesting in at least 22 colonies. The magpies nest in a variety of native and non-native trees and prefer to forage in low herbaceous habitats (irrigated turf and mowed or grazed annual grassland). The distribution of colonies is associated strongly not only with sufficient foraging habitat but also with nearby flowing rivers and streams.