Slightly smaller than the similar Black-billed Magpie, the Yellow-billed Magpie is found in the oak savannas, oak woods, riverside growth, ranches, and suburbs of California's central valley and nearby foothills . This species is distinguished most easily by the yellow bill and bare yellow area of skin behind eye. Yellow-billed Magpies live communally year round, feeding, socializing, and collectively mobbing predators.

Camera: LeicaR8/DMR Lens: Novoflex 400mm f/5.6 T-Noflexar Exposure: not recorded Support: tripod Date: December 2006 Location: Sacramento County California This was one of the few times I used a blind to get close enough to the bird for photographs. The blind was set up near my back yard bird feeder.

Text and photograph copyright (C) Douglas Herr
last updated 15 March 2007