AT the end of April I saw one magpie peck another in the breast to death. The wounded bird lay on its back, feet in the air while the other walked around it until the injured bird, in a last attempt to save itself, flew into a narrow bush where the other magpie finished it off. In its last five minutes of life it dragged itself out on to the grass while the other watched it from the roof of our house. After it died, the killer flew off into a sycamore tree and made loud croaking for over half an hour. - Gerard Sheehy, Blackrock, Co Dublin
One of these magpies was defending his territory and mate against an interloper. These encounters usually end by the interloper retreating and rarely end in death. It is more than likely the defender was the victor. The croaking from the tree top was the victor claiming or reclaiming his dominance over his territory.