Black-billed Magpie in June
Where magpies are in June, whether they are nesting, and the best foods to offer right now.
June in the Black-billed Magpie's year
June is the height of the nesting season. Most resident and migrant species are raising young, migration is essentially over, and bird activity peaks at dawn. By late June the first fledglings of the year are everywhere — clumsy, loud, and constantly begging.
For the Black-billed Magpie specifically, June is a summer month inside the nesting season — one of the most active and demanding periods of this bird's year. Across the 19 states and provinces where magpies occur, what the bird is doing this month depends heavily on latitude — the details below break it down by band.
Where magpies are in June
- Southern states
- absent
- Mid-latitudes
- year-round resident
- Northern states & Canada
- absent
In June, magpies are absent in the South, year-round resident across the mid-latitudes, and absent in the northern states and Canada. That north–south split is the defining feature of this month: where you live changes which version of this bird you're looking at.
Nesting in June
June is inside the Black-billed Magpie nesting season — about a month earlier in the South and a month later in the North. Nest: huge domed stick nest in trees or shrubs. Clutch 5–8 eggs, incubation 16–21 days, 1 per season.
The southern nesting season has already wound down, but northern pairs are still raising young — the whole season shifts later as you go north. During the nesting months, adults switch to protein-rich foods for their young, become more secretive around the nest site, and often visit feeders in quick, purposeful trips rather than lingering.
What to feed in June
- Grasshoppers, beetles and ticks
Magpies are intelligent and wary; they visit platform feeders near open country and pastures.
Expect to see adults carrying food away rather than eating it — they're feeding nestlings. Fledglings visiting feeders with their parents are a June highlight.
Full Black-billed Magpie diet guide → · Best feeder for magpies →
Watching magpies this month
In June, the best watching is around food rather than the nest — adults make repeated foraging trips and are most visible at dawn and dusk. Give nesting birds space: if a bird is carrying food or scolding you persistently, you're close to a nest and should back off.
The state guides below show exactly where in your region magpies are expected this month and which native plants hold them in a yard.
Black-billed Magpie month by month
Black-billed Magpie by state
Frequently asked
Where are magpies in June?
In June, magpies are absent in the South, year-round resident across mid-latitudes and absent in the North.
Do magpies nest in June?
Yes — June falls inside the Black-billed Magpie nesting season at mid-latitudes (a month earlier in the South).
What do magpies eat in June?
Grasshoppers, beetles and ticks.
Sources
- Black-billed Magpie — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Black-billed Magpie life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Black-billed Magpie — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.