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The City of Modesto is located near the geographic center of the Yellow-billed Magpie's range (See Range Map). These handsome, intelligent and boisterous birds are only found here in California. Their contrasting black-and-white body, wings and tail with blue-green iridescent accents, make them easy to identify. Magpies are large birds, measuring nearly seventeen inches in length, with a wingspan of twenty four inches. Their diet centers on insects, seeds, nuts and fruit; however they will eat almost anything, including roadkill, nestlings, eggs and rodents. They nest in colonies of fifteen to twenty pairs and build their large, dome-covered nests high up in trees. They can be found anywhere in Modesto; however, if you want to look for this beautiful bird, we suggest Dry Creek Regional Park or MJC West Campus on most mornings.