Do Crows Like Shiny Things? (What About Magpies + Myths Debunked)

Popular folklore has long associated corvids with hoarders, who line their lairs with gleaming treasure and metal objects. But is there any truth behind these stories? If so, why do crows like shiny things?

Read on as we explore whether it’s possible that your lost precious ring or bracelet actually ended up being snapped up by a nearby crow.

Research has shown that crows are very intelligent, with excellent memories and strong facial recognition abilities. Legends even describe crows as “criminal masterminds,” helping thieves pick locks and use keys. But in practice, such power should be taken with a grain of salt.

Contrary to this popular belief, crows are actually more likely to be afraid of shiny objects than attracted to them. In some places, objects that catch the sun and reflect the dazzling beams can even be used to deter or scare crows from a patch of land.

Crows are generally more afraid of shiny things than liking and stealing them!

magpies and shiny things

Another member of the corvid family, the magpie, also has a bad reputation as a serial hoarder of shiny items based on centuries of stories, passed down from generation to generation, and so ingrained in popular culture that it’s nearly impossible to unravel the legends origins, and the authenticity they actually contain.

Scientists at the University of Exeter in the UK set out to investigate the validity of the theory that magpies like, collect, and even steal shiny objects. The food was placed next to the shiny object, and the birds’ responses were recorded.

The results may surprise some: Instead of being attracted to the shiniest objects, the magpies seemed a bit nervous about shiny objects and were reluctant to touch food placed nearby because of the proximity.

In a 2014 study, scientists cited only two records of a 2007 discovery of “stolen” shiny objects in an auto mechanic’s workshop: keys, coins and a wrench, and a 2008 loss of engagement ring.

Magpies are often nervous about shiny objects, study shows

Other anecdotal evidence suggests that crows are particularly attracted to objects prized by humans, which may have contributed to their reputation as cunning thieves.

Crows kept as pets have been observed to take keys, jewelry, coins, and other items of particular importance to their owners. This is thought to be due to their association with the owner, not because of any silvery or shiny appearance.

Another suggestion for why crows sometimes show interest in shiny or reflective objects they pick up from the ground is that tinfoil or silver wrappers are often used as food wrappers.

carrion crow in flight

Crows may be seen pecking at paper from garbage bags or the floor, hoping for leftovers nearby, and they may have stumbled upon a convenient source of fast food. Again, this has more to do with the associations these wrappers conjure up with these opportunistic scavengers than with their inherent appeal to silver.

So now that we know that crows and magpies aren’t actually big fans of just looking at everything shiny, let’s take a deeper look at how this popular belief developed and investigate whether any birds are attracted to something shiny s things.

A masked crow on the ground

Why are crows and magpies associated with shiny things?

Rossini’s opera The Thieving Magpie, published in 1815, tells the story of a maid accused of stealing silver from her employer. She was eventually spared the death penalty after the thief was revealed to be a magpie hiding treasure in a church tower.

In European folklore, magpies, and to some extent crows, have been associated with a number of superstitions, many of which have to do with their reputation as harbingers of bad luck or doom. This negative coverage has developed around beliefs that they are associated with witchcraft, and as a result people view them with suspicion and negative attitudes, a cultural generalization that has been ingrained for hundreds of years.

Sometimes, people find foil wrappers, jewelry, coins, and other bling trinkets in magpie nests. This suggests that magpies do sometimes bring these “treasures” back to their nests, though there’s no explanation for why this is, and there’s certainly not enough evidence to confirm that they are the compulsive kleptomaniacs that legend would have us believe.

One theory to explain this is that it’s not because the magpies want to steal the items, but because the birds get startled when people approach them. This causes them to fly away, taking whatever was lying on the ground nearby at the time to their safe nest, where they can examine it further in case it contains something edible.

Magpies gathering nesting material on the ground

Do crows collect things?

It seems like another myth that crows are avid hoarders or collectors. The only thing crows are known to hide on purpose, and often, is food, for later consumption. That’s not all – crows’ food hiding habits have been observed to be highly developed and orchestrated rather than random or opportunistic.

Crows have been observed to hide food and revisit it after a period of time, and this has been studied with great interest, providing some interesting insights into the recall and discrimination abilities of these highly intelligent crows. Crows revisit cache sites to retrieve their hidden food. However, they will only return to find food that is still in good condition to eat, and will not dig up food that they know can no longer be eaten.

This suggests that crows can remember not only where they hid their food, but also when, and thus be able to tell whether the hidden food is still edible.

Eurasian Jay – The most colorful member of the crow family, known for its caching abilities

Are other birds attracted to shiny things?

Several other bird species also have a reputation for fondness for sparkles. In some cases, it could be pure coincidence, or again unsubstantiated rumors or old wives’ tales.

blue bird

Bluebirds are said to be attracted to all kinds of reflective objects and weave them into twigs when nesting. One theory is that the shiny surface looks similar to clear fresh water, which would impress potential mates.

Bluebirds that breed in towns and cities tend to use a lot of debris left by humans for their nests, such as scattered candy wrappers and foil wrappers. They have also been observed pecking at aluminum cans and even metal car parts while foraging.

blue jay

satin bower bird

The satin bowerbird, native to Australia, is another bird that puts a lot of thought into its nest building and decoration. While primarily collecting blue and yellow items for “interior design” purposes, their dens also contain any shiny materials they find while building, such as pens, barrettes, and metal junk, which they then impress with And ultimately keep your spouse safe.

Male satin bower bird displaying in gazebo