Are magpies really attracted to shiny things and why?

Question

what causes them to be attracted to it???

Answer 1

It's not just magpies, though magpies are famous for it (ferrets are famous for the same thing). But their reputation is well-earned. To understand why, you probably need to understand a little bit about magpies in general.

First of all, magpies don't migrate. Like most birds, they have comparatively enormous caloric requirements for flying and the like. So instead of migrating when food gets scarce, they do something else - they hoard.

Magpies aren't the only hoarders in the animal kingdom either, of course... such a trait is only unusual for birds. But they all do it. It's instinct. If they see something attractive, they take it and stash it away.

Food is (obviously) attractive, but shiny things have their own attractions as well. For one, they're very easy to see - they draw attention to themselves. For another, in nature they are not too common. So not only are they visible, they're unusual. Even humans are drawn to shiny things for these reasons.

Given their instinct, I don't think that for a magpie it's a very big leap from "Oh! What is that?" to "Where can I hide it?". Hope that helps!

Answer 2

Check out this Best Answer -- it hits the mark.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=1006021206104