Magpie Parent Reverse Feeding
Magpies are incredibly intelligent and attentive parents. What you saw was likely the adult carefully removing an impacted food item or pellet (sometimes chicks struggle to regurgitate cast pellets like raptors do, or they choke on large pieces), and the parent stepped in to clear the airway. It shows just how aware and responsive corvids are to their chicks’ distress.
Magpies have strong family bonds and will often help feed, preen, or even rescue their young in danger. Seeing one delicately extract something from a chick’s throat is a rare glimpse into their problem-solving and nurturing behavior.
If the bird regularly eats prey with bones, fur, feathers, or hard insect exoskeletons, it almost certainly casts pellets. Seed-eaters, nectar-feeders, and fruit-eaters generally don’t. So yes — magpies (and all corvids) do cast pellets, though usually smaller and less obvious than an owl’s because they eat a more varied diet and crush food more thoroughly. Chicks sometimes have trouble expelling them, which is probably why you saw the parent intervene.
Source: Grok 4.1
Clip re-timed to 50% speed.
Magpie Parent Reverse Feeding
Magpies are incredibly intelligent and attentive parents. What you saw was likely the adult carefully removing an impacted food item or pellet (sometimes chicks struggle to regurgitate cast pellets like raptors do, or they choke on large pieces), and the parent stepped in to clear the airway. It shows just how aware and responsive corvids are to their chicks’ distress.
Magpies have strong family bonds and will often help feed, preen, or even rescue their young in danger. Seeing one delicately extract something from a chick’s throat is a rare glimpse into their problem-solving and nurturing behavior.
If the bird regularly eats prey with bones, fur, feathers, or hard insect exoskeletons, it almost certainly casts pellets. Seed-eaters, nectar-feeders, and fruit-eaters generally don’t. So yes — magpies (and all corvids) do cast pellets, though usually smaller and less obvious than an owl’s because they eat a more varied diet and crush food more thoroughly. Chicks sometimes have trouble expelling them, which is probably why you saw the parent intervene.
Source: Grok 4.1
Clip re-timed to 50% speed.