Elster
The vocalizations of the black-billed magpie consist of a series of rough, scratchy calls. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology describes its call as a "ka-ka-ka-ka", often preceded with a "skah-skah". This call is thus very different from that of the Eurasian magpie, and is similar to those of the yellow-billed magpie. When threatened, the black-billed magpie utters a shrill scream.