Magpies are omnivorous birds that can eat a wide variety of foods, including both plant and animal matter. Their diet typically consists of insects, berries, seeds, small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and the eggs and young of other birds. So yes, magpies are definitely capable of eating eggs if given the opportunity.
Do magpies eat bird eggs?
Magpies frequently eat the eggs of other birds. In fact, one of their common names is “egg thief” due to their habit of raiding the nests of songbirds and eating the eggs or chicks inside. Some of the birds whose nests are targeted by magpie egg predation include:
- Songbirds – Robins, bluebirds, warblers, finches
- Gamebirds – Quail, pheasant, grouse
- Waterfowl – Ducks, geese
- Waders – Plovers, oystercatchers
Magpies are very opportunistic and will scavenge eggs from any accessible nests in their territory. The eggs provide a good source of protein and nutrients for the magpies. Their raiding of nests causes significant egg and chick mortality among some bird populations, especially ground-nesting species.
How do magpies eat eggs?
Magpies have a few techniques for eating eggs:
- Piercing eggshell – Magpies will use their sharp beaks to puncture holes in eggshells and feed on the liquid contents.
- Entire consumption – Small songbird eggs may be swallowed whole after magpies remove them from nests.
- Carrion feeding – Magpies may scavenge and eat damaged or abandoned eggs they come across.
Their versatile bills allow them to break into even hard-shelled eggs like those of ducks and chickens. Magpies have good gripping strength in their feet to hold eggs steady as they use their bills to break them open. They will consume all parts of eggs – the shell, egg white, and yolk.
What types of eggs can magpies eat?
Magpies are not picky and they will eat the eggs of all types of bird species, including:
- Songbird eggs – Small and fragile, usually speckled or solid pale blue.
- Gamebird eggs – Larger and more robust, often tan or olive green.
- Waterfowl eggs – Large and hard-shelled, white or light cream color.
- Shorebird eggs – Pointed oval shape, with cryptic speckled patterns.
In addition to bird eggs, magpies can also sometimes eat reptile eggs if they find them. Documented cases exist of magpies eating the eggs of turtles and small lizards.
Do magpies eat chicken eggs?
Yes, magpies will readily eat chicken eggs from farms and home coops if they can access them. Chicken eggs provide an abundant source of nutrients, and magpies are drawn to raid unattended nests. Their ability to eat hard-shelled eggs allows them to break into even the thick eggshells of domestic chickens.
Magpies are considered agricultural pests by farmers and chicken owners because just one magpie can destroy dozens of eggs in a short time. Large chicken eggs may be pecked open or carried away whole to be opened elsewhere. Persistent magpie egg theft can significantly reduce egg production and hatch rates.
How can you stop magpies eating chicken eggs?
If magpies are problematic egg thieves in your chicken coop, there are a few methods you can try to deter them:
- Keep chickens enclosed in a secured run area, especially during prime magpie raiding hours of early morning and evening.
- Use wire mesh overruns to prevent magpie entry.
- Scare magpies away with loud noises, water spray, or reflective deterrents.
- Remove any food or water sources that may attract magpies.
- Keep the area around the coop clear to eliminate protective cover for magpies.
- Trap problematic magpies humanely and relocate them away from your property.
Constant vigilance and exclusion are the best ways to protect your flock’s eggs from thieving magpies. Deterrents may work for a short time but magpies will often circumvent them. Eliminating all access to eggs is the only sure way to prevent predation.
Do magpies eat other animals’ eggs?
In addition to avian eggs, magpies will sometimes eat the eggs of reptiles and fish if they encounter them:
- Turtle eggs – Magpies may raid exposed turtle nests and eat the eggs. This threatens endangered sea turtle populations in some areas.
- Lizard eggs – Small lizard eggs laid underground or under debris are vulnerable to magpie predation.
- Fish eggs – Magpies spotted along shorelines have been observed eating the egg masses of fish like herring and capelin.
However, birds’ eggs make up the vast majority of the egg prey in the magpie diet. The eggs of wild ground-nesting birds and domestic poultry are their most common targets.
Do magpies eat rotten eggs?
Yes, magpies are opportunistic scavengers and will eat rotting or damaged eggs they come across. Their strong stomach acid allows them to consume spoiled eggs that could sicken other animals. This allows them to take advantage of nutrients from abandoned nests and deteriorating eggs.
Carrion feeding on rotten eggs provides magpies with:
- Protein from egg white and yolk decomposition
- Calcium from eggshells
- Vitamins from eggs breaking down
Consuming rotten eggs also introduces more bacteria into the magpie diet which may help strengthen their digestive systems against toxins. So it can actually provide health benefits to the magpies.
Do magpies eat their own eggs?
Healthy magpies do not typically eat their own eggs. Once magpie chicks hatch, the parents may feed them small pieces of discarded eggshell to provide calcium for growth. But fully formed magpie eggs contain developing chicks and are incubated by the parents.
However, instances of egg cannibalism have been reported among magpies under certain conditions:
- If an egg fails to hatch and is damaged, the parents may eat it to regain nutrients.
- During times of severe food shortage, magpie parents may consume their own eggs to survive.
- If a new male magpie takes over a nest, it may eat any existing eggs to trigger the female to then breed with it.
But in general, magpies avoid eating their own viable eggs and instead focus on raiding other species’ nests. Consuming their own eggs would prevent propagation and lower breeding success.
Do magpies eat egg shells?
Yes, magpies routinely eat crushed eggshells. After they puncture the shell to consume the inner contents, magpies will eat the entire egg remnants including the shell.
Egg shells provide several key nutrients for magpies:
- Calcium – Eggshells contain calcium carbonate which provides essential calcium for bone health.
- Protein – Shell membranes contain proteins that are an added nutrient source.
- Grit – Shell pieces help grind food in magpie gizzards for better digestion.
Consuming the shell provides the most nutritional value from raided eggs. Magpie pairs will often bring crushed shells back to their chicks in the nest to promote growth and bone development.
Do magpies eat only eggs?
No, eggs only make up one part of the magpie diet. Magpies are omnivorous and eat a wide variety of different foods:
- Insects – Crickets, beetles, caterpillars, ants, wasps, etc.
- Berries – Elderberries, blackberries, raspberries, currants, etc.
- Seeds – Sunflower, oats, wheat, maize, etc.
- Grains – Bread, cereal, livestock feed pellets.
- Nuts – Acorns, almonds, peanuts.
- Fruit – Apples, cherries, figs, citrus, etc.
- Vegetation – Maize, potatoes, sprouting seeds.
- Small vertebrates – Frogs, lizards, snakes, rodents.
- Carrion – Carcasses of various animals.
Eggs provide a supplemental source of nutrients to balance the magpie diet. But they survive on diverse food sources based on seasonal availability.
Do magpies prefer eggs over other foods?
Magpies do not specifically prefer eggs over all other foods in most cases. However, they do target bird eggs during breeding seasons when abundant nests are available to raid for easy high-protein meals. Some key points on magpie egg preferences include:
- Magpies focus on eggs mainly in spring/early summer when wild birds are nesting.
- Fresh eggs may be preferentially taken over rotting carrion or insects.
- High availability of easy-to-take eggs from songbird nests makes them a key seasonal food source.
- During winter, magpies switch focus back to fruits, grains, and invertebrates.
So while not an absolute favorite, the plentiful availability and nutritional value of bird eggs makes them an important seasonal food for magpies. But they will shift to other readily available foods in other seasons.
Conclusion
In conclusion, magpies are definitely capable of eating eggs and frequently do so by raiding the nests of other birds. Their preference for eggs seems tied to seasonal availability, when songbird nests offer abundant, protein-rich food. But magpies are versatile feeders and consume many different food types beyond just eggs. Understanding the role of eggs in their diet provides insights into magpie feeding habits and their impacts on other bird populations through egg predation.
