Asir Magpie - BirdForum Opus

Pica asirensis

Alternate name: Arabian Magpie. Formerly included in Eurasian Magpie

Identification

Length 46–50 cm (18-19¾ in)

• Black head, neck, breast and back
• Prominent white side patches and belly
• Wings and tail, whilst looking black in certain lights, are actually blue-green and purple
• Very long tail, diamond-shaped when spread out
• Similar to Eurasian Magpie but is darker, has a black rump, less white in plumage and a short tail

Sexes are similar. Juveniles are duller than adults.

Distribution

Endemic to Assir Mountains of south-western Arabia

Taxonomy

This species was formerly considered conspecific with Eurasian Magpie P. pica.

Subspecies

None. This is a monotypic species.

Habitat

Farmland and open country. Also town gardens and parks.

Behaviour

Walks and will hop sideways.

Flight

Quick, with deep, fast, even wing beats. Short glides.

Diet

Omnivorous. Feeds mainly on invertebrates, small mammals, lizards, frogs, bird eggs, nestlings and carrion. Often caches food.

Breeding

Builds a domed nest in tall trees, or hedgerows which often contains shiny objects

Vocalisation

Harsh "chack, chack, chack".

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2018. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2018. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F & D Donsker (Eds). 2018. IOC World Bird List (v8.2). doi : 10.14344/IOC.ML.8.2. Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Del Hoyo, J, A Elliott, and D Christie, eds. 2009. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 14: Bush-shrikes to Old World Sparrows. Barcelona: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-8496553507
4. Birdwatchers Pocket Guide ISBN 1-85732-804-3
5. Collins Pocket Guide to British Birds 1966
6. Collins Field Guide 5th Edition
7. Madge, S., Christie, D.A. & Kirwan, G.M. (2018). Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica). In: del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A., Sargatal, J., Christie, D.A. & de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. (retrieved from https://www.hbw.com/node/60753 on 17 August 2018).
8. Song, G., Zhang, R., Alström, P., Irestedt, M., Cai, T., Qu, Y., Ericson, P.G.P., Fjeldså, J. & Lei, F. (2018) Complete taxon sampling of the avian genus Pica (magpies) reveals ancient relictual populations and synchronous Late-Pleistocene demographic expansion across the Northern Hemisphere. J. Avian Biol.49(2): https://doi.org/10.1111/jav.01612.

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Asir Magpie. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 29 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Asir_Magpie

External Links

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