What they like

Anywhere people make a mess: gardens, yards, parks, farm sheds, wooded banks. He wants height to build in (tall trees, rows of poplars) and open spots to rummage. Leave a messy corner: a brush pile, a stack of prunings, some rough vegetation. Plant native berry-bearing shrubs: hawthorn, blackthorn, elder. And leave some fallen fruit in autumn. Magpies won't say no to that.

Ecological importance

Cleaner and hunter in one. He eats insects, larvae, slugs and mice, but also seeds, berries and carrion. In doing so they keeps the yard tidy and knocks off small pests. He themself is on the menu for the goshawk and sometimes the buzzard. Nature isn't a tidy system. That's exactly the point.

When in the Netherlands

All year round. Breeds early in spring and is extra fierce toward intruders then. Just keep your distance from a nesting tree.

Status

Common breeding bird. Widespread and stable.