Cissa chinensis
The Common Green Magpie (Cissa chinensis) is a stunning member of the Corvidae family, instantly recognizable by its vivid emerald green plumage, bright crimson bill, and distinctive black eye-stripe extending from the bill to the nape. Measuring approximately 37-40 cm (14.5-16 in) in length, including its exceptionally long, graduated tail, and weighing around 120-190 grams (4.2-6.7 oz), this species is a striking jewel of Asian forests. Its most distinctive field marks are the combination o...
This species primarily inhabits dense evergreen and mixed deciduous forests, often found in the lower to middle canopies, and also frequents bamboo thickets and forest edges. It typically occurs from foothills up to elevations of about 1,600 meters (5,250 feet).
Primarily insectivorous, feeding on a wide array of large insects, their diet also includes small vertebrates like lizards, frogs, and bird eggs/nestlings, supplemented with fruits and berries. They forage both arboreally and terrestrially, often pouncing on prey from a perch.
Common Green Magpies are largely diurnal, spending their days foraging actively through the forest understory and canopy, typically roosting communally in dense foliage at night. They employ a variety of foraging strategies, stealthily searching for insects and small vertebrates among leaves and ...
The Common Green Magpie is a widespread resident species spanning a broad geographic range across South and Southeast Asia. Its distribution extends from the sub-Himalayan foothills of northern India, Nepal, and Bhutan, eastward through Bangladesh and northeastern India into southern China (Yunna...
Least Concern
- The Common Green Magpie's vibrant green plumage is not due to a green pigment, but rather a structural coloration that can fade to turquoise or even blue with prolonged exposure to sunlight, especially in captive birds. - They are accomplished mimics, capable of imitating the calls of numerous ...