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Well there is a colony in Eastern Spain (Torrevieja) which is 200km east of the closest known birds.
Thanks Hotspur. Currently we have the range as Spain and Portugal, but anything that tightens up that description is most welcome
There's a map for Spain (excluding Portuguese range) here; doesn't give the Torrevieja population though.
For Portugal, from BWP Concise, the southern third of the country, plus a narrow strip up the eastern side north to the same latitude as where the Spanish map shows it occurring on the Spanish side of the border.
Edit: Portuguese map here (made from e-bird sightings, I think).
Anyone got further info or references regarding on the Torrevieja population (i.e. how where & when it was discovered, proof of breeding etc)? The only source I could find was http://www.bargainbirdingclub.com/downloads/Alicante-Spain-nov.pdf It seems quite a range extension for a largely sedentary bird. It's recorded as breeding in the area in Garcia & de Juana's 'Birds of the Iberian Peninsula' (although am I right in assuming that the population is found in the Sierra de Espuna, Murcia (as Garcia & de Juana note a record for there in February 4th 2006).
That book tells me that the "species is largely sedentary. Recoveries of birds ringed as adults have all been local and the furthest recovery as a chick was 45km. Altitudinal movements have been reported in the Sierra de Gredos, where birds descend to the foothills in winter. individuals have wandered north: to Polientes, Cantabria, in Nov 1967 and to Pajares pass, on the Asturias?Castilla y Leon boundary in autumn 1975. One was in the far south-east at the Sierra de Espuna, Murcia on February 4th 2006. There are some 30 records north-east of the breeding range, notably in Catalonia, Valencia and the Ebro valley: recent reports there a flock of eight at Ezcaray, La Rioja in October 2002 and one at San Llorenc Savall Barcelona in September 2005. In addition, there are six records (of seven birds) for France, the most recent being one in the Camargue in December 2005. In general, although some individuals, or even small flocks, may wander quite far, such occurrences are rare" (I've omitted references here)
Some background historical info can be found here - http://birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/cadiz-birding-blog-page/almost-widdringtons-magpie
I've seen them - there are perhaps a dozen birds, maybe more in an urbanisation. There should be some info on the Costa Blanca bird club site.
If the species is highly sedentary, and these are in an urban area, perhaps derived from escaped cagebirds?
Edit: just cross-posted with John :t:
I've just heard back about these birds from Ernest Garcia who wrote "These birds were almost certainly introduced. The initial birds were reputedly carrying rings". This seems quite likely given how little they wander.
Some background historical info can be found here - http://birdingcadizprovince.weebly.com/cadiz-birding-blog-page/almost-widdringtons-magpie
Thanks John, is this local knowledge, or is there a paper on this? Can you supply a reference, even if it is in Spanish? Nothing wrong with local knowledge, of course it should be taken into account too, but the power of the pen puts a time and place to this.
There are several records of movement in northeastern France, the most recent in the Camargue in December 2005.
Northeastern France? :eek!: I hope a typo! Didn't even know they'd been recorded in France at all!