| Red-billed blue magpie | |
|---|---|
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| NearShek Kwu Lung,Hong Kong | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Urocissa |
| Species: | U. erythroryncha |
| Binomial name | |
| Urocissa erythroryncha (Boddaert, 1783) | |
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Thered-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha) is a species ofbird (magpie) in the crow family,Corvidae. It is about the same size as theEurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid. It is 65–68 cm (25.5–27 in) long and weighs 196–232 g (6.9–8.2 oz).[2]
The red-billed blue magpie was described by French polymathGeorges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1775 in hisHistoire Naturelle des Oiseaux.[3] The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved byFrançois-Nicolas Martinet in thePlanches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle which was produced under the supervision ofEdme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text.[4] Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name, but in 1783, Dutch naturalistPieter Boddaert coined thebinomial nameCorvus erythrorynchus in his catalogue of thePlanches Enluminées.[5] The specimen described by Buffon had come from China, but thetype location was restricted to Canton by Hugh Birckhead in 1937.[6] The red-billed blue magpie is now one of five species placed in thegenusUrocissa that was introduced by German ornithologistJean Cabanis in 1850.[7][8] The name of the genus combines theAncient Greekoura meaning "tail" andkissa meaning "magpie". The specific epitheterythroryncha combines the Ancient Greekeruthros meaning "red" andrhunkhos meaning "bill".[9]
Fivesubspecies are recognised:[8]
The head, neck, and breast are black with a bluish spotting on the crown. The shoulders and rump are a duller violet-blue, and the underparts are a greyish cream. The long tail is a brighter violet-blue (as are the wing primaries) with a broad, white tip. The bill is a bright orange-red, as are the legs and feet and a ring around each eye. This red can vary across its range to almost yellow in some birds.
The red-billed blue magpie occurs in a broad swath from the northern parts of theIndian subcontinent, and further eastwards. It ranges from the westernHimalayas eastwards intoMyanmar,Thailand,Cambodia,Laos, andVietnam, and through central and easternChina to southwestManchuria, in evergreen forest and scrub in predominantly hilly or mountainous country. It has adapted to urban habitat, and can be seen in large cities in China such as Beijing and Hong Kong. They nest in trees and large shrubs in a relatively shallow nest. Usually, three to five eggs are laid.
Food is sought both in trees and on the ground. It takes the usual wide range of food, such as invertebrates, other small animals, and fruit and some seeds. It robs nests of eggs and also chicks. Vocal mimicry is very apparent in this species, and its calls are very varied, but the most usual are a grating rattle and a high-pitched whistle somewhat like a flute.
