At first glance, this beautifully illustrated scene of black-and-white birds looks straightforward, but it is packing plenty of well-hidden surprises. Most people casually scan the branches and completely miss the smaller or tucked-away birds resting in the foliage and trunk.
To help you conquer this challenge without losing your mind, let’s break down the illustration step by step from top to bottom:
* **Top Canopy & Perches:** Starting high up, you have three large, prominent magpies perched prominently (one on the left branch, one atop the central foliage, and one on the right branch). However, hidden right beneath the top-center bird, nestled snugly inside the upper leaves, is a fourth, much smaller magpie head peering out. That brings the upper section to 4 total.
* **Middle Branches:** Scanning the central section of the tree reveals another cluster. There is a large magpie on the left branch, a prominent one standing upright against the center trunk, and another large one perched on the right branch. Look closer at the far right tip of the middle branch to spot a tiny magpie perched out on the edge, plus another small one tucked lower down near the base of the central trunk where the branches fork. This middle layer adds 5 more birds, bringing our running total to 9.
* **Ground Level & Base:** Down in the grass and rocks, the puzzle wraps up with the final group. There is a large magpie standing on the grass to the far left, another large magpie foraging on the ground in the center, a large magpie perched proudly on a rock to the far right, and one final small magpie standing in the grass just to the left of the rock. That accounts for the last 4 birds.
When you add the 4 upper birds, the 5 middle birds, and the 4 ground-level birds together, you reach the grand total for the flock.
Answer: 13.
