Common Green Magpie

Overview

The common green magpie is a crow-family bird roughly the size of a Eurasian jay, distinguished by its bright green plumage and long tail. It is found across a broad south-easterly band in Southeast Asia and is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Plumage is bright and lush green, sometimes fading to turquoise, with reddish maroon wings and a long white-tipped tail. A thick black stripe runs from the bill through the eyes to the nape. Red fleshy eye rims, bill and legs contrast vividly with the body. Voice is varied, often featuring a harsh peep-peep, whistling and chattering.

Habitat

It inhabits evergreen forests, including bamboo forests, clearings and scrub. Its range extends from the lower Himalayas in north-eastern India down through central Thailand, Malaysia, Sumatra and northwestern Borneo.

Diet

This bird forages for food both on the ground and in the tree canopy. It takes a very high percentage of animal prey, including invertebrates, small reptiles, mammals, young birds and eggs, and will also feed on recently killed carcasses.

Did you know?

While the bird's vibrant green colour is natural, the pigment is carotenoid-based and can fade to turquoise in captivity or due to a poor diet. Its type locality was once mistakenly believed to be in China, though it only occurs in the extreme south of the country.