- Cyanopica cyanus
Cyanopica cyana
Includes Iberian Magpie
Identification
31-35cm. Tail 16-20cm
- Glossy black cap
- White throat
- Brownish-grey back and rump
- Light buffish underparts
- Azure blue wings and tail
Sexes similar. Juveniles have a brownish-black hood.
Distribution
Two widely separated populations with one in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and the second from central Asia to eastern China and Japan.
Taxonomy
Nine-ten subspecies are recognized, cooki in Iberia and the rest in Asia. Some authorities believe the two groups should be different species, with C. cooki becoming Iberian Magpie and the rest retaining the name of Azure-winged Magpie.
In the current form, Azure-winged Magpie is the only member of its genus.
Subspecies[1]
- C. c. cooki: Iberian Peninsula
- C. c. cyanus: East-central Asia
- C. c. pallescens: Middle and lower Amur River region
- C. c. koreensis: Korea
- C. c. stegmanni: Manchuria
- C. c. swinhoei: Eastern China (Liaoning to Fujian and Sichuan)
- C. c. interposita: Northern China (Shaanxi)
- C. c. kansuensis: Western China (Gansu, Qinghai and north-western Sichuan)
- C. c. japonica: Japan (Hondo and Kyushu)
Habitat
Coniferous, mainly stone pine, and deciduous forest. Also parks and gardens in the Asian populations.
Behaviour
Gregarious, forming noisy groups out of the breeding season.
Diet
The diet includes acorns and pine nuts, invertebrates and larvae, soft fruits and berries. When seeking invertebrates on the ground, they like to jump forward both feet together.
Breeding
They nest in loose, open colonies with a single nest in each tree, usually a holm oak. Incubation takes around 15 days for the 6–8 eggs. They can be used as host species by Great Spotted Cuckoo.
References
- Clements, JF. 2008. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2008. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Avibase
- Wikipedia
- Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
- Collins Bird Guide ISBN 0 00 219728 6
External Links
