Taiwan blue magpie

Taiwan blue magpie
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Urocissa
Species: U. caerulea
Binomial name
Urocissa caerulea
Gould, 1863

The Taiwan blue magpie[2] (Urocissa caerulea), also called the Taiwan magpie or Formosan blue magpie (Chinese: 臺灣藍鵲; pinyin: Táiwān lán què) or the "long-tailed mountain lady" (Chinese: 長尾山娘; pinyin: Chángwěi shānniáng; Taiwanese Hokken: Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû), is a member of the crow family. It is an endemic species living in the mountains of Taiwan at elevations of 300 to 1200 m.

In the 2007 National Bird Voting Campaign held by the Taiwan International Birding Association,[3] there were over 1 million votes cast from 53 countries. The Taiwan blue magpie defeated the Mikado pheasant in the vote, but the vote was not formally accepted.

Description

The Taiwan blue magpie is about the size of the European magpie, but with a longer tail. It is 64–65 centimeters in length. Wing measures 18–21 centimeters and tail measures 40 centimeters in length.

The plumage of male and female looks alike. Its head, neck and breast are black; eyes are yellow; bill and legs are red; the rest of the plumage on the bird is a rich dark blue to purple in color. It also has white markings on the wings and the tail.

Behavior

The Taiwan blue magpie is unafraid of people. Their traces can be found in proximity to human residences in the mountains or newly cultivated lands. They are gregarious and are usually found in groups of six or more, gliding and shuttling in the woods. When flying in a group, the birds tailgate each other. Sometimes they may be seen strung out as if in line.

Similar to other members of the crow family, they have a raucous call which is described as a high pitched cackling chatter, "kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak", and they are well known scavengers and omnivores. Their diet includes snakes, rodents, small insects, plants, fruits, and seeds. Wild figs and papayas are their favorites. They are known to store leftovers on the ground and cover them with leaves for future retrievals. Sometimes they store food in the leaves or branches.[4]

Breeding

The Taiwan blue magpie is monogamous. Females incubate eggs while males help out with nest building and feeding. Their nests are usually found in the woods and weeds rendezvous areas and are mostly built on higher branches from March to April. The nest shapes like a bowl and is weaved with twigs and weeds. Usually there are 3–8 eggs in a clutch. Eggs are olive green in color, with dark brown marks. Hatching takes 17–19 days and the success rate is 78.3%. This will yield 3–7 chicks per nest. Taiwan blue magpies have a strong nest defence behaviour, and will attack intruders mercilessly until they retreat.

Status

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species has currently assessed the species to be of least concern as it is common throughout its range. Due to its endemism, however, the Taiwan blue magpie has been listed as a rare and valuable species (珍貴稀有保育類) and protected by Taiwan's Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (Traditional Chinese: 文化資產保存法) since 1989. There is a small population of red-billed blue magpies that have been introduced to Wuling Farm in Taichung County (now part of Taichung City). In 2007, three hybrid chicks were found in a nest in Taichung, with red-billed and Taiwan magpie parents tending them. This caused some concern to conservationists, given the decline of the Taiwan hwamei due to the invasion of the Chinese hwamei. However, the Endemic Species Research Institute of Taiwan has been working to control red-billed magpie populations by capturing individual birds and relocating their nests. .

See also

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2015). "Urocissa caerulea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015.1. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  2. ↑ Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds) (2011). "Vireos, Crows and Allies". IOC World Bird Names (version 2.9). Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Taiwan International Birding Association
  4. ↑ The diet of the Formosan blue magpie (in Chinese)

External links

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