Azure-winged Magpie

Overview

The azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) is a bird in the crow family characterised by its slender build and azure blue tail and wings. It is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• 31–35 cm long, similar in shape to the Eurasian magpie but more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill.
• Glossy black top to the head with a white throat.
• Light grey-fawn underparts and back, contrasting with azure blue wings and a long (16–20 cm) tail.
• Voice is a quick-fired, metallic sounding kwink-kwink-kwink, usually preceded by a single krarrah.

Habitat

Inhabits various types of coniferous (mainly pine) and broadleaf forest, including parks and gardens in eastern populations. Its range covers a large region of eastern Asia, including China, Korea, Japan, Mongolia, and southern Siberia. A distinct population formerly thought to be conspecific was found in the Iberian Peninsula, distinguished by a white-tipped tail.

Diet

Diet consists mainly of acorns and pine nuts, extensively supplemented by invertebrates, their larvae, soft fruits, berries, and human-provided scraps. They forage as a family group or in flocks of up to 70 birds, with the largest groups congregating after the breeding season and throughout winter.

Did you know?

Azure-winged magpies that have asynchronous broods, which create a size hierarchy among nestlings, produce more eggs and fledge more nestlings than those with synchronous broods.