Saw this sign in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg, for a gallery. Pica pica is possibly my favorite scientific animal name, beating out mus musculus (house mouse) and Rattus rattus (black rat). As you can see from the sign, it’s the name of the European magpie.
I have a magpie couple as neighbors in a treetop near my apartment windows. And I also enjoy watching old East German children’s shows featuring the hand puppets Frau Elster (Ms. Magpie) and Herr Fuchs (Mr. Fox) on YouTube. Here, Frau Elster is in denial about her sunstroke and Herr Fuchs must explain that too much sun can be harmful for her health [in German].
Update: The video I linked to has been taken down due to copyright issues. Official videos can be found on the official Frau Elster and Herr Fuchs page of the website for the Unser Sandmännchen children’s show.
Huhu Pica Pica,
The video was taken down. Apparently some copyright issues?
Thank you for huhu-ing to let me know. I’ll have to update the text and point people to some other place to see Frau Elster.
Hi, thanks for the link. I did not know that Herr Fuchs and Frau Elster are also able to speak Sorbic…