Fun Azure Winged Magpie Facts For Kids
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The Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, is a stunning bird of the order Passeriformes and family Corvidae. It looks quite similar in appearance to the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) but is quite slender with proportionately smaller legs as well as smaller bills.
It is similar in overall shape to the Pica pica. This magpie is black, blue, light gray, or fawn, in color.
It has a smooth blacktop to the head and a white throat. The underparts and the back are light gray-fawn colored and so is the back.
Its magnificent feathers are azure blue colored which look stunning. It's an elegant bird that is a member of the crow family. They can be spotted in broadleaf and coniferous forests of Western Europe and Eastern Asia.
Their major locations include the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal, Spain, Korea, China, Mongolia, and Japan. They are often seen devouring people-provided scraps in parks.
What's more exciting is that the magpie is a sign of good luck, indicating happiness, love, and enduring prosperity! Keep reading to learn more fun facts about this beautiful Azure bird's appearance, habitat, population, and more!
If you like reading about the stunning Azure Winged Magpie, then also read our animal facts about the Australian magpie and magpie.
Azure-Winged Magpie Interesting Facts
What type of animal is an azure-winged magpie?
The Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, is a beautiful bird of the order Passeriformes and the family Corvidae. Corvidae is the name of the crow family.
What class of animal does an azure-winged magpie belong to?
The beautiful Azure Winged Magpies, Cyanopica cyana, belong to the class of Aves. These birds are very intelligent and are indigenous to Eastern Asia.
How many azure-winged magpies are there in the world?
The Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, is widely spread across Western Europe and Eastern Asia. However, its population size is not yet known.
Where does an azure-winged magpie live?
The Azure Winged Magpie usually nests in loose, open colonies. There is a population of Azure Winged Magpies in Western Europe, encompassing Spain, Portugal, and especially the Iberian Peninsula. There is also a population of this stunning bird in China, Korea, Japan, and Mongolia.
What is an azure-winged magpie's habitat?
The Azure Winged Magpie habitat consists of coniferous (mainly pine) as well as broadleaved forests, including parks and gardens. It also developed new ways of flying.
They can fly through the air steeply and quickly now. They have even learned how to safeguard their nests from the eggs of cuckoo birds and predators. It nests in small colonies and builds its nest on shrubs and trees close to water.
The nest has no roof, unlike the nests of the common magpie. They can be commonly seen in gardens, parks, orchards, forests, and riparian areas of East locations.
Who do azure-winged magpies live with?
The Azure Winged Magpie lives in nests with its mate and chicks after they have hatched. These birds gather together in flocks of 20-30 birds and forage together.
How long does an azure-winged magpie live?
The Azure Winged Magpie can live up to 20 years as pets whereas in the wild they can live up to 15 years.
How do they reproduce?
The Azure Winged magpie nests in open loose colonies. This species also believes in courtship rituals like display preening and also ritual feeding. The male and female both build a nest out of sticks, grass, and branches of trees.
At one time, a female Azure-winged magpie lays six to eight eggs. They hatch anywhere between 15-20 days after incubation. The male, as well as the female, feed their chicks after they fledge.
What is their conservation status?
The Azure Winged Magpie has the Least Concern conservation status as per the IUCN's Red List.
Azure-Winged Magpie Fun Facts
What do azure-winged magpies look like?
The Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyanus, is similar in overall shape to the Pica pica (Eurasian Magpie). Although, they are slender with proportionately smaller legs as well as smaller bills.
They have azure (blue) feathers as well as an azure tail. They have a smooth and shiny black top on their head, whereas their throat is white.
The underparts and the back of the body are a light gray-fawn color and the wings and tail are a stunning azure color. The rest of the body color is similar to that of the turtle dove.
How cute are they?
The Azure Winged Magpie is a stunning petite creature. This fawn-colored bird looks utterly magnificent when it spreads its azure-colored wings.
How do they communicate?
The lovely Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyana, makes screeching sounds. These birds are extremely vocal and have a quick-fired and metallic-sounding 'kwink kwink' which comes before a 'krarah'.
They nest in colonies and even help raise each other's young. They make calls to communicate with each other while looking for food. They are normally perceived by the ears before the eyes due to their raucous calls.
How big is an azure-winged magpie?
The beautiful Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyana, is 12-13 in (31-35 cm) long and similar to the Eurasian Magpie in its shape and size. It is double the size of a flycatcher passerine bird.
How fast can an azure-winged magpie fly?
The Azure Winged Magpie is a very fast and swift bird that gathers together in flocks in moderate numbers. They are flighty birds that have adapted new ways for quick flight. However, their top speed is unknown.
How much does an azure-winged magpie weigh?
The Azure Winged Magpie, Cyanopica cyana, weighs in the range of 0.17-0.2 oz (5-6 g).
What are the male and female names of the species?
There is no particular name for the male or female. The male is referred to as the male Azure Winged magpie whereas the female is referred to as the female Azure Winged bird.
What would you call a baby azure-winged magpie?
The baby Azure Winged Magpie is called a hatchling, chick, or fledgling.
What do they eat?
The Azure Winged Magpie is an omnivorous bird whose diet changes with the winter months. Their diet consists of insects and invertebrates, tiny reptiles, and amphibians along with a range of fruits and seeds. They have also been noticed eating people-provided scraps in parks.
Conversely, predators like big birds and wild stray cats typically consume them. The Azure-winged Magpie finds food as a family group or several groups making flocks of a moderate number of birds. The largest groups gather following the breeding season and throughout the cold season.
Are they dangerous?
No, the Azure Winged Magpie is not at all dangerous. They are protective of their own. The Azure Winged Magpie shares one of the human qualities of helping others. It helps its species in raising and feeding their young.
Would they make a good pet?
There are no recorded examples of an Azure Winged Magpie being brought up as a pet. It likes flying in the wide sky. If an Azure Winged Magpie is confined, it may feel alone and unhappy as an Azure Winged Magpie is a colony nester. The social Azure Winged Magpie won't be able to handle loneliness.
Did you know...
The Azure-winged magpie likes to lay its eggs close to the Japanese lesser sparrow hawks as the sparrow hawks neither prey upon the chicks nor do they invade the nests of the Azure Winged Magpie, instead they safeguard the nests of the magpie against enemies.
The Iberian magpie and Azure Winged magpie species are distinct at the species level.
Where do you find Magpies?
There are 15 sub-species of magpies, namely the Eurasian Magpie, Black Billed Magpie, Taiwan Blue Magpie, White Winged Magpie, Javan Green Magpie, and 10 more. Magpies are often found in warm parts of North America, Asia, and Europe with colonies in Tibet as well as elevated portions of India.
Do Magpies have enemies?
Eggs and chicks of the Azure Winged Magpie are often stolen by weasels, mink, raccoons, and hawks. Cuckoos lay their eggs frequently in the magpie's nests.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including the monk parakeet or stilt sandpiper.
You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our magpie coloring pages.
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