I know this has been answered a few years ago, but I can’t find the thread.
Not that I would ever do it, but I have heard that you can teach a magpie to talk by snipping their tongues a bit when then are chicks.
True?
I can’t directly answer your question about magpies, but it is sometimes said that splitting a parrot’s tongue makes them talk better.
Of course, it is a barbaric practice that just plain doesn’t work.
no, NO, NO!
Do NOT ever do anything to the tongue of a bird. If they able to mimic human speech they will do so without any such “assistance” at all. Splitting or cutting their tongue will only cause pain and suffering.
A magpie can learn to mimic human speech on its own. Whether or not a particular bird will do so can not be predicted, since birds are individuals with varying degrees of talent in mimicry.