Oriental Magpie

Overview

The Oriental magpie (Pica serica) is a species of magpie also known as the Korean, Chinese, or Asian magpie. It was separated from the Eurasian magpie as a distinct species following a 2018 DNA study and serves as the national bird of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Identification

• Approximately 45 cm in length, slightly smaller than the Eurasian magpie with a proportionally shorter tail.
• Features a longer bill and tarsi, with darker plumage and less white than its Eurasian counterpart.
• The back, tail, and flight feathers exhibit iridescence that is either bluer or more green than that of the Eurasian magpie.
• Produces the same call as the Eurasian magpie, though the sound is somewhat softer.

Habitat

Found across a wide range from southeastern Russia to eastern China, Korea, Taiwan, and northern Indochina and Myanmar. It has also become a naturalised species in Japan, established in northwestern Kyushu and southern Hokkaido.

Did you know?

In East Asian culture, the bird is viewed as an omen of good fortune, symbolised in the Chinese word xǐquè where the first character means 'happiness'. Korean children traditionally throw shed teeth onto a roof while singing to the magpie, believing the bird will bring back the new tooth.