This cartoon was for one of the tapestries to be hung in the Prince of Asturias´ dining room at the El Pardo Palace. Its narrow, elongated format indicates it was intended to be hung in a corner. It is probably inspired by a Chinese screen, which were very fashionable in the eighteenth century. The screen´s representation of exotic birds on tree branches is replaced here by a magpie and other small birds belonging to Spain´s fauna. The painter situates the birds on different planes in order to create a sense of depth that complements the high, narrow format. At the same time, he expresses the birds´ flight and the magpie´s equilibrium on the tree branch with vivid realism.