It all started with the discovery of a large nest in Antwerp, Belgium, in the courtyard of a hospital. Up in the tree, magpies had built a nest from a staggering 1,500 pieces of metal spikes.

With their large size, bold pied plumage, and fondness for open areas, black-billed magpies are easily seen ... thickets in rangeland and foothills; nests along watercourses and other areas ...

The Seychelles magpie robin (Copsychus sechellarum), a black ... which stole eggs and chicks from the birds' nests. But the natural balance was thrown off in the decades after Europeans began ...

A magpie nest made of anti-nesting spikes in a tree in Antwerp. Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing ...