History Main / ThievingMagpie

* One ''WesternAnimation/MrBean'' The animated Series'' episode has one of these, and naturally Bean is framed for its theft.

* The Blood Ravens chapter in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' received the FanNickname of "Bloody Magpies", as they have a ''startling'' amount of wargear [[KleptomaniacHero that originally belonged to other chapters in their possession]]. Given a nod in one of the novels, where a visitor sees their trophy room and notes that it looks like a magpies' nest.

This stereotype has also provided a handy {{Animal Motif}}s for the occasional fictional jewel thief (for when [[ClassyCatBurglar cats]] are too much of a cliché).

This stereotype has also provided a handy AnimalMotif for the occasional fictional jewel thief (for when [[ClassyCatBurglar cats]] are too much of a cliché).

* The TropeNamer (and probably TropeCodifier) is Rossini's ''La Gazza Ladra'', "The Thieving Magpie", which is also something of a SpoilerTitle; the titular magpie is revealed to be responsible for the thefts of silver cutlery that initially set off the plot. The music has been used as a {{Leitmotif}} for [[GeniusBonus thieving characters]] in both ''Film/AClockworkOrange'' and ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''.

* ''Series/Batwoman2019''. Magpie is a cat burglar with [[FemmeFatalons claws]], feathers, black [[SpyCatsuit outfit]] and magpie-shaped grenades. When she tries stealing a Fabergé egg, Batwoman tells her she's taking the bird theme too far.

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* In an episode of ''Anime/{{Hamtaro}}'', a crow took shiny things from Laura's classroom and the children started blaming each other.
* In a {{filler}} ''Manga/CaseClosed'' case, a murder of crows find the case's murder weapon and take it to their nest. Conan, Ai and the Detective Kids have to retrieve it. [[spoiler: At the end of the episode, [[Funny/CaseClosed the crows chase the kids around]], still angry because they messed around with the nest.]]

* A minor ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' villain is named Magpie for her kleptomania and the [[StevenUlyssesPerhero unfortunate birth name]] Margaret Pye.
* Alluded to in ''ComicBook/{{Blacksad}}'' with Cotton, a blind magpie who's always dreamed of going to UsefulNotes/LasVegas.

* In the ''Literature/ArabianNights'' tale "The Stolen Necklace", said necklace is actually stolen by a magpie, but a holy woman is unjustly accused.
* Invoked in ''Literature/TheMagicOfOz'' where Kiki Aru, having learned a transformative [[MagicalIncantation magic word]], turns himself into a magpie in order to steal a piece of gold from an old man.
* Alluded to in ''Literature/HisDarkMaterials'' -- one of the parallel universes is colloquially referred to [[PlanetEngland by the name]] of the only city the main characters ever visit, Cittegazze -- "city of magpies". It's a kind of parasite [[PocketDimension pocket-universe]] heavily infested with Spectres, ghostly things that attack adults and steal their souls but leave children alone, which is why the city is by now a (pre-)TeenageWasteland.

* Daniel Handler's ''Adverbs'' features magpies throughout. In one story, a magpie steals a lost diamond from Handler's actual life and delivers it to a story written by another author entirely. He's a fairly odd bird himself.

* ''Literature/{{Firstborn}}'': The magpie protagonist Maggie has husband who is an obsessive hoarder. It's one of the reasons she leaves him (and starts avoiding magpies in general).
* A PlotCoupon in one of the ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' books turns out to be in a magpie's nest.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has a "[[http://gatherer.wizards.com/Pages/Card/Details.aspx?multiverseid=45252 Thieving Magpie]]" card; whenever it deals damage to an opponent, you get to draw a card (representing something that the magpie picked up).
* The "Freedom City" setting for ''TabletopGame/MutantsAndMasterminds'' has a GentlemanThief named Magpie who can [[{{Teleportation}} teleport]], but ''never'' would he teleport ''into'' a building-- he [[SelfImposedChallenge savors the challenge of breaking in the hard way]]. His power is used ''only'' for last-second escapes, and even then only if he can't vanish any other way.

* Classic ''TabletopGame/{{Traveller}}'', Double Adventure 2 ''Mission on Mithril''. One of the animals on the planet Mithril is the calamander. Calamanders are scavengers and will steal small items of equipment from the {{PC}}s' ATV (such as important nuts or bolts), forcing the {{PC}}s to track them down in their warrens to retrieve the items.
* Exists in the Highland Expansion for ''TabletopGame/{{Talisman}}'' as a Follower. It allows the owner to take any loot drawn in an encounter first before dealing with anything else-normally, the player has to trigger any events drawn, kill any monsters, and deal with any strangers before getting the loot.

* One Summoning {{familiar}} in ''VideoGame/{{Runescape}}'' is the Magpie, which is useful for thieves. Its special ability can boost the player's thieving skill.
* In ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', there is a subquest to find a missing baby rattle, which turns out to be in a bird's nest.

* The Magpie symbol in ''VideoGame/LuckBeALandlord'' will remove 1 coin from your total per turn...but also returns 9 coins every 4 turns. Perhaps it thieves from others?
* Spiteful Crows in ''VideoGame/{{Earthbound}}'' can sometimes steal objects from Ness.
* The BigBad of ''VideoGame/CaptainToadTreasureTracker'' is a giant magical crow named Wingo. He's the antagonist because he wants shiny power stars. His towers even have tons of treasure in them.
* The Shrieker from ''VideoGame/DarkestDungeon'' is a monstrous mutated corvid that will steal Trinkets from your inventory or dead heroes.

* In ''Webcomic/TheArcherAndTheSquirrel'' a crow steals from Count Wylie and he sets out to kill the thief thinking it a human. When he discovers the crow in it's gold filled nest he orders the bird shot but it escapes.

* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', a pigeon takes Eddy's quarter after he got it out of a sewer drainage. Later, while the trio are building a treehouse, Ed gets a nest with the same bird on top of him, which Eddy tries to catch again but fails.
* ''WesternAnimation/HeckleAndJeckle'' are two wise-cracking magpies who, by trait, con their way into getting whatever they need. They also make life miserable for two dogs, a lugubrious bloodhound (Dimwit) and a tough bulldog (unofficially named Chesty).

* The animated short ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq9yPrLWMyU Peck Pocketed]]'' is about a magpie stealing an old lady's belongings.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Stoked}}'': In "To Catch a Reef", a thieving seagull causes Reef to be accused of being a thief.

* ''WesternAnimation/AlfredJKwak'': One of Alfred's friends is a magpie named Pikkie ("Grabby"), who is actually compelled to steal anything shiny that he lays his eyes on, gaining MindControlEyes in the process. This gets Alfred into a lot of trouble when Pikkie steals a crown jewel and Alfred ends up looking responsible. When the truth is revealed, the king pardons Pikkie since he couldn't help himself.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheCrumpets'': In "Crumperchés", a magpie steals Cassandra's heart necklace and the key for the chains Marylin strapped himself with to a tree to protest its cutting.

* Invoked in ''[[Literature/LandOfOz The Magic of Oz]]'' where Kiki Aru, having learned a transformative [[MagicalIncantation magic word]], turns himself into a magpie in order to steal a piece of gold from an old man.

* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Dumbledore uses this analogy when referring to young Tom Riddle (the boy who would become [[BigBad Voldemort]]) after a PensieveFlashback. This helps him and Harry understand Voldemort's behavior since then, including his use of {{Soul Jar}}s.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': In "After the Rain", [[InternalReveal Anne finally learns]] that Hop Pop buried the "Calamity Box" for safekeeping instead of giving it to his alleged "contacts", but also discovers the Box has gone missing. While Anne fumes about Hop Pop lying to her and losing the box, Sprig and Polly try to find the box themselves, and discover it's been stolen by an insect called a "magpie beetle".

* In a {{filler}} ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' case, a murder of crows find the case's murder weapon and take it to their nest. Conan, Ai and the Detective Kids have to retrieve it. [[spoiler: At the end of the episode, [[Funny/DetectiveConan the crows chase the kids around]], still angry because they messed around with the nest.]]

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'', [[JerkwithAHeartOfGold Snipes]], he is a magpie and the bright lights distract him a lot.

''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Dumbledore uses this analogy when referring to young Tom Riddle (the boy who would become [[BigBad Voldemort]]) after a PensieveFlashback. This helps him and Harry understand Voldemort's behavior since then, including his use of {{Soul Jar}}s.

* The Literature/BloodRavens chapter in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' received the FanNickname of "Bloody Magpies", as they have a ''startling'' amount of wargear [[KleptomaniacHero that originally belonged to other chapters in their possession]]. Given a nod in one of the novels, where a visitor sees their trophy room and notes that it looks like a magpies' nest.

* In ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'',
[[JerkwithAHeartOfGold Snipes]], he is a magpie and the bright lights distract him a lot.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In a sidestory of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' focused on Astrid, she's so distracted daydreaming about her eight Gym Badges and her plans after the Kalos league, a Murkrow comes and snatches her badge case. Fortunately, she manages to get it back.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films-Animated]]
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfNIMH'', Jeremy (A [[CleverCrows Crow]]) was hypnotised by Brisby's stone.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Titanic:TheLegendGoesOn'', [[JerkwithAHeartOfGold Hector]], with the most important thing he appropriates being Angelica's locket.

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In a sidestory of ''Fanfic/PokemonResetBloodlines'' focused on Astrid, she's so distracted daydreaming about her eight Gym Badges and her plans after the Kalos league, a Murkrow comes and snatches her badge case. Fortunately, she manages to get it back.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheHalfBloodPrince'', Dumbledore uses this analogy when referring to young Tom Riddle (the boy who would become [[BigBad Voldemort]]) after a PensieveFlashback. This helps him and Harry understand Voldemort's behavior since then, including his use of {{Soul Jar}}s.

** In ''Discworld/CarpeJugulum'', the [[OurVampiresAreDifferent vampyres']] magpie mascots pinch Granny Weatherwax's gold-edged invitation to the naming of Verence and Magrat's baby. Cue Granny thinking [[FairyTale/SleepingBeauty she's been snubbed]] as she hasn't received her invitation, while everybody else in the kingdom has.

This stereotype is based on the commonly held (though actually false) belief that magpies collect shiny objects to line their nests in order to attract a mate. What''is'' true, however, is that magpies and other corvids are intelligent animals with an innate sense of curiosity, and they may carry off unfamiliar objects such as jewelry simply to examine them more closely. So it's easy to see how people might think this was like a small-scale version of a DragonHoard.

This stereotype is based on the commonly held (though actually false) belief that magpies collect shiny objects to line their nests in order to attract a mate. Easy to see how people might think this was like a small-scale version of a DragonHoard.

* In a {{filler}} ''Manga/DetectiveConan'' case, a bunch of crows find the case's murder weapon and take it to their nest. Conan, Ai and the Detective Kids have to retrieve it. [[spoiler: At the end of the episode, [[Funny/DetectiveConan the crows chase the kids around]], still angry because they messed around with the nest.]]