Magpies are like poets in that they have a voice which can express words with distinct sounds, like human speech. Even if they cannot speak, they imitate the sound of the human voice. If they do not repeatedly hear a word they have learned, they forget it, and are happy when they hear it again. They hang from branches and chatter annoyingly.

Hildegard von Bingen says: "If a person has thick scabies on his head, he should take the fat of the magpie and anoint his head with it. He will be healed. Other parts of the magpie are not useful as medicine." (Throop translation)