English Magpie
The English Magpie is a fancy pigeon with a slim, upright body and sharply divided magpie markings. In the usual pattern, the head, wings, back, and tail carry color while much of the remaining plumage stays white, though exact boundaries depend on the standard used by the club or country. The breed is kept mainly for exhibition, where outline, stance, feather quality, and clean color placement all matter.
Breeding English Magpies is demanding because pattern cannot be separated from structure. Clean lofts, regular bathing, and dry perches help keep the white areas presentable, but selection still has to protect fertility and vigor. A bird with crisp markings but weak body or poor balance is not a useful breeder for long. Buyers should examine both sides, leg stance, and the transition between colored and white areas, then ask whether the family produces the pattern consistently. Show preparation also rewards patient handling, because tense birds can lose the narrow upright outline that makes the pattern read correctly.
Colors: Almond, Ash Red, Bar, Barless, Black, Blue, Brown, Checker, Dilute, Dun, Grizzle, Indigo, Mottle, Opal, Pied, Recessive Red, Red, Silver, Splash, Spread, White, Yellow
