Yellow-billed Blue Magpie

Overview

The yellow-billed blue-magpie, or gold-billed magpie (Urocissa flavirostris), is a passerine bird in the family Corvidae, related to crows and jays. It forms a superspecies with the Taiwan blue magpie and the red-billed blue magpie.

Identification

• Length approximately 66 cm (26 in), including a long, graduated tail of about 46 cm (18 in).
• Whole upper plumage is purplish-blue, brighter on the wings and tail, while the head, neck, and breast are black with a white patch on the nape.
• Lower plumage is white, faintly tinged with lilac; flight feathers and tail tips are white, with a black band in front of the white on the very long central tail feathers.
• Highly vocal, producing a variety of vocalizations.

Habitat

The species' range covers the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, including the lower Himalayan foothills, and includes a disjunct population in Vietnam. It is found throughout the Himalayas from Hazara to the Brahmaputra, breeding in a zone from 1,500 to 3,000 m, and is most common in areas of dense jungle, though it can also be found in agriculture areas and bare mountain sides.

Diet

Primarily arboreal but frequently feeding on the ground, the diet consists of small mammals, the eggs and young of other birds, insects, wild fruits and berries. They adopt a hopping gait with the tail held high to prevent it from contacting the ground.

Did you know?

Although primarily arboreal, these birds frequently feed on the ground, adopting a distinct hopping gait with the tail held high to prevent it from touching the ground. They live in parties of seven or eight birds and are highly territorial.