Do you salute magpies or feel a twinge of unease when one crosses your path, fearing it might bring bad luck? If so, you’re not alone. Even the most rational sceptics can sometimes feel their beliefs waver at the sight of a magpie.
In Britain, no other wild bird is so steeped in superstition as the magpie. For centuries, folklore surrounding magpies has flourished across the UK and Europe. During the Victorian era, such fear of the bird grew that it was nearly hunted to extinction.
However, before the spread of Christianity, magpies were seen very differently, often as symbols of good fortune and intelligence. The Romans admired the magpie for its cleverness and reasoning skills, while in Ancient Greece, magpies were sacred to Bacchus, the god of wine.
Farther afield, some Native American tribes viewed magpies as symbols of fearlessness, wearing their feathers as signs of bravery. Others believed the magpie to be a sacred messenger from the creator or a guardian with shamanic powers.
The Christian Church, however, cast the magpie in a far darker light. According to Church teachings, the magpie was the only bird that failed to weep or mourn during Jesus’ crucifixion, supposedly because of its black-and-white plumage. This led to many superstitions linking magpies to bad luck or evil.
In the 19th century, a vicar recorded one of his servants claiming that the magpie refused to enter Noah’s Ark, choosing instead to sit outside in the rain, chattering and swearing. Another story from the same period describes the magpie as a hybrid of the raven and the dove, making it the only bird not to have been baptised.
The Church also popularised the rumour that magpies carry a drop of the devil’s blood in their tongues. Supposedly, if their tongues were cut to release the blood, magpies would gain the ability to speak like humans.
But how did magpies, once revered in some cultures, come to be seen as harbingers of bad luck?
Much of this stems from the way our ancestors tried to make sense of the world around them. Without modern science to explain natural events, people often attributed mysterious occurrences to supernatural causes. The appearance of an animal, a change in the weather, an other natural phenomena were frequently linked to significant events that followed, especially those that couldn’t otherwise be explained.
Death was particularly challenging to predict or understand, and it naturally inspired fear of the unknown. This fear gave rise to many superstitions and old wives’ tales surrounding the subject. Magpies, with their behaviour and habits, naturally found themselves entwined in such beliefs.
Like other corvids, magpies have long been associated with death. During medieval times, they were often seen scavenging near battlefields, gallows, and field hospitals, where they fed on carrion. Their predatory behaviour during breeding season, such as raiding nests for eggs and chicks, also made them unpopular with gamekeepers and rural communities, particularly as they preyed on pheasants and other birds of value.
Magpies’ inquisitive and mischievous nature earned them another unwanted label: thieves. Known for their attraction to shiny objects, they were often blamed for missing jewellery or other valuables. If a treasured ring went missing, it was easy to shift the blame to a magpie.
This reputation for theft became so entrenched that it inspired cultural works like Rossini’s tragicomic opera La Gazza Ladra (The Thieving Magpie). In the story, a French girl is falsely accused of theft, convicted, and executed, only for the true culprit, a magpie, to be discovered later. The remorseful townspeople then hold an annual Mass of the Magpies to pray for the girl’s soul.
Over time, magpies’ reputation as “bad birds” evolved into the belief that they bring bad luck. However, as the famous nursery rhyme suggests, this superstition largely revolves around seeing a single magpie.
Magpies are known to mate for life, so encountering a lone magpie might suggest it has lost its mate, which could symbolise sorrow or misfortune. On the other hand, spotting a group of magpies is believed to bring good luck, joy, or even wealth, as the well known rhyme illustrates:
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be tol
The rhyme encapsulates the dual nature of magpie superstitions: while a single bird may bring sorrow, more magpies suggest prosperity or happiness. These beliefs likely endure because they offer a way to interpret and find meaning in chance encounters, even if modern science tells us there’s no basis for such fears.
If you spot a lone magpie and fear it might bring bad luck, there are several things you can do to ward off misfortune:
Salute the magpie.
Say, “Good morning, General” or “Good morning, Captain.”
Greet it with, “Good morning, Mr Magpie, how is your lady wife today?”
Say, “Good morning, Mr Magpie, how are Mrs Magpie and all the little magpies?”
Address it as “Jack”, saying, “Hello Jack, how’s your brother?”
Doff your hat as a sign of respect.
Spit three times over your shoulder.
Blink rapidly to convince yourself you’ve seen two magpies instead of one.
Flap your arms like wings and mimic a magpie’s call to symbolically provide it with a mate.
The belief that a solitary magpie brings bad luck is widespread in the UK and Ireland, but some regions have their own specific superstitions.
Scotland: A single magpie near a house window signals an impending death.
Wales: Seeing a magpie crossing your path from right to left before a journey predicts danger on the road.
Ireland: Magpies are thought to represent the souls of gossiping or malicious women.
Yorkshire: Magpies are linked to witchcraft, and making the sign of the cross is said to ward off their evil influence.
Somerset: Carrying an onion offers protection from a magpie’s bad luck.
Northampton: A group of three magpies together predicts a fire.
Devon: A fisherman who sees a magpie in the morning will catch no fish that day.
Sussex: Unlike elsewhere, a magpie on the roof is considered a good omen, ensuring the house is safe from harm.
Outside the UK, magpies are often seen in a more positive light.
China: A singing magpie symbolises happiness, good fortune, and luck.
Korea: Magpies bring good news and attract good people into your life.
Mongolia: Magpies are believed to control the weather and are seen as highly intelligent.
France: Evil nuns are thought to be reincarnated as magpies.
Scandinavia: In Norse mythology, magpies are associated with Skadi, the goddess of winter. In Norway, they are considered cunning and are linked to the huldra, the mysterious underground people.
Science has confirmed that the Romans were right, and magpies are incredibly intelligent, with a brain-to-body ratio comparable to great apes. These remarkable birds can use tools, solve problems, work in teams, play games, and even mimic human speech.
So, the next time you see a magpie, offer it your best salute, not out of fear of bad luck, but out of respect for one of nature’s smartest creatures.
What do you do when you see a magpie? Let us know in the comments below.
109 Responses
I don’t know if this advice is still in effect, but a few years ago in the UK, we were advised that magpies were a menace to other smaller birds, and that if possible we should trap and kill them. Overpopulation was a real problem.
I myself was out one morning and heard a screeching; I wondered what the racket was and was surprised when a sparrow landed, flapping on the ground near me. It flapped its wings, screeching piteously as it did so. Then, down came a magpie, landing nearby, then another. They hopped over in their own time and took turns to stab and peck at the smaller bird. It was too wounded to fly, but managed to flap itself to the relative safety of a car underside. The magpies couldn’t follow effectively, because they were too large to easily hop under, so they stood around pacing and waiting next to the car.
They are stone killers.
At the weekend i heard a noise in my dining room when i walked in i saw a Magpie just sitting on top of a box. My dog went crazy and it flew out the door. This morning i opened the blinds and one magpie was sitting looking in my bedroom window. This freaks me out because everyone says one is for sorrow death. Can anyone give more details on this.
She was looking for shiny thing, such as earing or ring in the box.
And she remembered and want it again.
thats alll:)
I have always saluted Magpies with “Good morning my
Lord” much to the amusement of my Hubby and kids! But I still do it!
Here in the U.S., the traditional British folklore and superstitions about magpies aren’t generally known; those of us who live in the parts of the country that have them just consider ourselves lucky to be able to see these astonishingly smart, beautiful, sassy birds!
Years ago, when I was a teenager in Denver walking home from high school on a warm, late-spring day, I saw the most wonderful display of that bratty corvid intelligence:
Our neighbors had a small, elderly, rather overweight (and nearsighted) terrier they would leave outside to waddle around their front yard, unsupervised, as said dog was pretty peaceful and quite trustworthy. Mostly it would either nap, or amble around, sniff things, and then pee on them.
As the pooch sauntered around its demesne, I began to realize that a magpie some ten or so feet behind it on the lawn was perfectly imitating its every move: peering at the grass and pretending to sniff whenever the dog did; bumbling forward in exact synchronicity with each step; even lifting a leg when the dog relieved itself!
Apparently the dog started dimly sensing something odd going on behind it, because it finally turned around and peered–at which point the magpie was innocently poking around in the grass for bugs, obviously paying no attention to the dog whatsoever (who me???).
After a bit, the dog went back to its usual pursuits–and the magpie snapped right back to its lockstep satire, taking a bare second in passing only for flashing a sardonic glance at me (I had a hand clapped over my mouth, trying not to shriek out loud with laughter).
That’s hilarious! Thank you for sharing!
Just seen six – woo-hoo!
Hey
I saw a magpie on the way to church. I waited to another one before the bus came but, didn’t see another one, so I turned around and didn’t go to church this morning ?
I had a magpie sitting on my sofa after I lost my dad. One magpie visits every day outside my front garden and then my back garden. Wish I could post the picture of it on my sofa
Fuck just saw 3 magpies and i forgot to salute them..
On the 30th of May 2022 I found a magpie in my parents kitchen, it flew into the living room where I managed to catch it and get it out of the door.
The very next day my dear Dad passed away in the house.
I usually salute a single magpie but in my hurry to free the bird I didn’t.
After the death of my husband there was a lonely small dove in front of our house, singing in the morning and evenings – every day till the 30-th – 40 th day.
great article, lovely to learn, My mum used to tell me that Magpies wern’t their own specees as people used to paint crows to ward of bad luck, so they are just painted crows, i am not sure who to believe now. But they still have lovely colors.
“birds are usually better than no birds” – ernest hemmingway
I’ve heard that too! Crazy! I’ve even heard of a magpie that was white as the main colour, with the black underbelly.
What a crazy world we live in.
That’s the Asian magpie. They are common in New Zealand. They’re like a negative of the European magpie: white instead of black and black instead of white – and just as cheeky.
i’ve just had a magpie come to my window twice no knocking but just flew to my window, sat for a second and then it went. does anyone know what this means or symbolises?
Many birds will peck at their own reflection thinking it is another bird.
LOTS OF STRANGE PEOPLE MAGPIES ARE JUST HAMSOME BIRDS THEY NEST IN MY HOLLY TREE
I was just going through the last process of paying for my new “used” car and what I believe to be a magpie seemed to be trying to get something in the space between the window and roof of the office I was in. Am I doomed or should I return the car and get a refund if I can? Don’t believe I’m a superstitious person but you don’t see many magpies in Aberdeen, I hope you can put my mind at rest!!
Doomed
I live in the Veneto countryside of Italy. Five magpies flew into my garden today. Four of them settled for a few minutes on the high branches of a birch tree. The other on the top branches of a liquid amber. They remained
long enough for me to snap a few photos of them. Then one led the others as they flew away and towards the nearby grassy river bank and fields. I’d like to believe they represent abundance as written in the poem.
As a child in North London 70 years ago the drill on seeing a solitary Magpie was to hold your collars together as if to protect your neck until you saw another or one saw an ambulance. My wife relates the same from another North London area so it was a widespread practice.
I was out walking the dog today. Something caught my eye on the corner of a small copse. I went to investigate and found a trap with 2 magpies trapped. I couldn’t leave them, especially as I’m superstitious of them. So I rescued them. One was easy. The second trickier, I couldn’t coax it out of the exit so I left it open, which I’m sure has p@@sed off the trap layer but hopefully it managed to get out when we had gone and it had calmed down enough. They’re beautiful birds.
I always salute a magpie when I see one,whether it’s 1 or a few. I think they are beautiful birds and Always have done. Also very clever and they like sparkly things like me. Not only that but when I was pregnant with my son I Always saw 4 together. Practically every day. It’s like they know something you don’t. But saying this I do also if I see one aswell as salute I always ask how it’s other half is as a mark of respect as we know if you lose someone you love it can be very lonely.
Acknowledging and hailing magpies is a long-held country superstition. We reveal how to salute a magpie, and other fascinating facts.
i seen 2 outside eating food i threw out my mam died later that week i NEVER feed any birds now it all goes in the bin
Every. Morning I say 5-6 or 1-2 magpie skipping in the back garden of my neighbour but nothing happened so far.Yes sometimes Luck but I need to keep a look out if this true meanings about them.
Edmonton, Alberta. When do magpies and crows have alliance?
On a mid October glorious sunny day, 6 weeks ago I was with a friend, when a bird ruckus, began behind a house. It reached a crescendo, then an owl flew across the park, chased by a flock of magpies and crows. The owl easily out paced the outraged CORVIDS. Too late in season for any baby birds to be seized from nests. Bad neighbours. Big drama.
I woke up this morning opened my back door to see 12 magpies all sitting in a tree in my garden I could not believe it. Most ive ever seen was 5 together like that .
My mom loved magpies, the day she died, I was looking out her kitchen window and on the fence 5 magpies sitting in a row, looking into the house!
I have always loved magpies and felt drawn to them in the same way I am to black cats!
I actually see these beautiful creatures as symbols of good fortune, always have a little luck or good news following a sighting of 1 of either.
The more the merrier!
I have a family of magpies that visits me daily. Started with just the adult pair, the male happily comes up to me, has a chat and sing sing and gets some snacks from me and she sits off to the side until I go inside. Now they have started bringing their two babies with them when they come. They are the sweetest birds once they know you are no threat.
seeing a magpie is not bad luck because you got to see a very good bird 🙂