Magpies eat rats?

Superman

The other day my ma saw a magpie kill a rat and fly away with it, I think its a bit mad out of it. Is it common place or wha?

Shrimp

Yeah, would have been good if you got a shot of it, on cam..

smileygal

Herons swallow them whole!! :eek:

boneless

I've seen magpies take young rabbits before. I've also seen hooded crows do the same thing.

KTRIC

I have 2 kittens and when they were in the garden at the weekend I seen a magpie challange them. Magpie's are pretty fearless, next time I'll get my BB gun out.

Flukey

Magpies will eat anything like that.

techguy

The other morning I woke to about six magpies screeching at my cat who they had cornered under an oil tank. They seemed to have been getting revenge for the magpie the cat had in her mouth..
For the whole day afterwards 2 magpies stalked the cat and from a distance kept on screeching at her,the cat was horrified and has been acting strangely ever since..
Whats the story with the magpies,were they getting their own back at the cat??
Interesting to say the least...

Hakko

magpie

Yes, we eat rats, cats, dogs and the occasional small child if we can get one.

boneless

magpie wrote:

Yes, we eat rats, cats, dogs and the occasional small child if we can get one.

Mmmm... I like kids but couldn't eat a whole one!! Does anyone know why the magpie is referred to as "Cromwells bird"?

Chuchote

boneless wrote: »

Mmmm... I like kids but couldn't eat a whole one!! Does anyone know why the magpie is referred to as "Cromwells bird"?

They were said to have arrived in Ireland with the 16th-century English.

Gen.Zhukov

Chuchote wrote: »

They were said to have arrived in Ireland with the 16th-century English.

How,in the name of jaysus, did you manage to drag this one up........?

Oink

Chuchote wrote: »

They were said to have arrived in Ireland with the 16th-century English.

So around the time this thread was started then.

riffmongous

It's an interesting thread all the same.

Animal mobbing is a really interesting thing to witness

Westernyelp

I seen a magpie eat a whole Iceberger once. Savages

NomadicGray

1.618 wrote: »

How,in the name of jaysus, did you manage to drag this one up........?

They spent 12 years researching to find the answer

Chuchote

1.618 wrote: »

How,in the name of jaysus, did you manage to drag this one up........?

NomadicGray wrote: »

They spent 12 years researching to find the answer

Well… seven :pac: I've been spending a lot of time at the turn of the century, with some dashes into the 16th century, and came across the saying that when the magpies go, the English will go, the two having arrived together.

OpenYourEyes

Mod Note: Wow, 12 years! A quick search throws up a lot of other Magpie threads in those 12 years! Locked.