Wildlifeof Nepal
Red-billed Blue Magpie
Crows, Drongos, Orioles & Shrikes
Photo: (c) Yi CHEN, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY
Urocissa erythroryncha
Basic stats
Diet
Omnivore; robs nests of eggs and chicks
Habitat
Evergreen forest and scrub in hilly or mountainous country
Range
Western Himalaya east into Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and through central and eastern China to south-west Manchuria
Clutch size
Usually 3–5 eggs
Size
65–68cm
Weight
196–232g
The red-billed blue magpie is about the size of the Eurasian magpie but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid: 65–68 cm in total and 196–232 g. The head, neck and breast are black with bluish spotting on the crown, the shoulders and rump are a duller violet-blue and the underparts greyish cream. The red of the bill varies across the range to almost yellow in some birds (Wikipedia, general species account).
It nests in trees and large shrubs in a relatively shallow nest and robs other birds' nests. Vocal mimicry is very apparent and its calls are varied, most often a grating rattle and a high-pitched flute-like whistle (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What does the Red-billed Blue Magpie eat?
- Omnivore; robs nests of eggs and chicks
- What habitat does the Red-billed Blue Magpie live in?
- Evergreen forest and scrub in hilly or mountainous country
- Where is the Red-billed Blue Magpie found?
- Western Himalaya east into Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, and through central and eastern China to south-west Manchuria
- How many eggs does the Red-billed Blue Magpie lay?
- Usually 3–5 eggs
- How big is the Red-billed Blue Magpie?
- 65–68cm
- How much does the Red-billed Blue Magpie weigh?
- 196–232g