Formosan Blue Magpie
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The Formosan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea), also called the Taiwan Magpie, is a member of the Crow family. It is an endemic species living in the mountains of Taiwan at elevations of 300 to 1200m.
Chinese for "Formosan blue magpie" is 台湾蓝鹊 in simplified characters and 台灣藍鵲 in traditional characters. Using Pinyin transcription, this is pronounced Táiwān lán què in Standard Mandarin. It is familiarly known in Taiwan as the "long-tailed mountain lady", or 长尾山娘 (simp.) 長尾山娘 (trad.), pronounced chángwěi shānniáng in Mandarin and Tn̂g-boé soaⁿ-niû in Taiwanese.
It is about the same size as the European Magpie, but with a longer tail. The head, neck and breast are black, the rest of the plumage on the bird is a rich dark blue to purple in color. It has white markings on the wings and the tail. The bill, feet and legs are red, and the iris is yellowish.
Usually found in groups of six or more, it appears to avoid any human disturbance and quickly moves away from such encounters. Its food is similar to that of others in the genus, taking a wide range of fruits and seeds, insects and other invertebrates. Wild figs and papayas appear to be a favorite.
The nest is usually in a tree or shrub and there are usually between three to five eggs laid. Both sexes build the nest and feed the young with only the female incubating them.
The voice is described as a high pitched cackling chatter, "kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak."
References
- BirdLife International (2004). [Urocissa caerulea]. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
External links
- [Ka-shiang, Liu. "The Long-Tailed Fairy of the Forest: In Search of the Formosan Blue Magpie." Rhythms Monthly Magazine.]
- ["Formosan Blue Magpie." Tawianese Government Information Office.]
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