I’m just watching one build a nest in my garden, which prompted me to ask this question. In England, magpies are traditionally used to to predict the future, with the number of birds determining what will happen. The superstition is the subject of several rhymes, for example:
*One for sorrow,*
*Two for joy,*
*Three for a girl,*
*Four for a boy,*
*Five for silver,*
*Six for gold,*
*Seven for a secret never to be told.*
The lyrics have regional variations, but the above was used as the [theme tune](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp1TG9KaEAg) to a 1970s children’s television programme called *Magpie* and so has become the dominant version.