Cyanopica cooki
The Iberian Magpie, *Cyanopica cooki*, is a striking and highly social corvid endemic to the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. This medium-sized bird typically measures 31–35 cm (12–14 in) in length, including its notably long tail, and weighs between 65–76 g (2.3–2.7 oz). Its plumage is characterized by a distinctive glossy black cap extending from the forehead to the nape, sharply contrasting with a pristine white throat. Its most arresting feature is the vivid azure-blue of its wings and lon...
Found primarily in open woodlands, dehesas (cork and holm oak savannas), olive groves, and pine forests, typically at low to mid-elevations below 800 meters.
Primarily omnivorous, their diet includes a wide range of insects and their larvae, acorns, pine nuts, olives, various fruits, and occasionally small vertebrates or carrion. They forage both on the ground and in trees.
Iberian Magpies are exceptionally social birds, often forming large, cohesive flocks that can number in the dozens, especially outside the breeding season, and engaging in communal roosting at night. Their foraging strategy is omnivorous and opportunistic, involving probing the ground with their ...
The Iberian Magpie is strictly endemic to the southwestern part of the Iberian Peninsula, primarily found throughout central and southern Spain and eastern and central Portugal. Its breeding range covers provinces such as Extremadura, Andalusia, Castile-La Mancha, and parts of Castile and León in...
Least Concern
- The Iberian Magpie was only officially recognized as a distinct species (*Cyanopica cooki*) from its Asian counterpart (*Cyanopica cyanus*) in the early 2000s, following genetic analysis. - Despite their striking morphological similarity, the genetic divergence between the Iberian and Asian Azu...