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22

Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica cooki) Alternate name(s): "Iberian Azure-winged Magpie", "Cook's Azure-winged Magpie", "Spanish Azure-winged Magpie" German name(s): "Blauelster" Size: 31-35 cm (incl. tail ca. 16-20 cm)

Europe: Family Group 22 Family Group 22 Table Great Grey Shrike Iberian Grey Shrike Woodchat Shrike Red-backed Shrike Eurasian Golden Oriole Eurasian Magpie Iberian Magpie Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names European birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Iberian Magpies have a black upper half of the head and nape of the neck and a white lower half of the head, throat and sides of the neck. The rest of the front is creamy, while the upperparts are a darker brownish-grey. The flight feathers are light-blue on the upperside, except the tips of the primaries, which are grey. Also the uppertail is light-blue. Both undertail and underwings are grey. The tail is conspicuously long. The irises are black, the bill, legs and feet are also black.

Taxonomy, classification See Iberian Magpie at Wikipedia . Click here for classification information The Iberian Magpie has now been given species status and is no longer considered to be a race of the Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus).

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Iberian Magpie is available HERE . As the name already suggests, the range of the Iberian Magpie is restricted to Iberia. Except for a few records elsewhere, the species is found in an area between Lison, Portugal, and the south-western tip of the peninsula, to Malaga, Spain, in the South-west to about Bilbao and Zaragoza, Spain, in the North-east. Especially during the breeding season, Iberian Magpies have a preference for woodland and forest with both conferous and decidious trees. Outside the breeding season they disperse into more open country.

Sightings Click here for sighting information J. Pires reports spotting Iberian Magpies occasionally around Mora, Evora, Portugal and Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal. The species was also found near Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, in June 2020, and at Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Tras-os-Montes, Norte, Portugal, in January 2023. All sighting and photographic information presented on this page has kindly been contributed by J. Pires.

Photos

ADULT

Sex unknown

Frontal view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Frontal view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabo Sardao, Odemira, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-lateral view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Pulo do Lobo, Mertola, South Alentejo, Portugal, October 2019]

Lateral view of an Iberian Magpie on the point of landing (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Tras-os-Montes, Norte, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mondego estuary, Portugal, January 2022]

Lateral view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Tras-os-Montes, Norte, Portugal, January 2023]

Lateral view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabo Sardao, Odemira, Portugal, October 2022]

Lateral/ventral view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Coruche, Santarem, Portugal, June 2020]

Near-dorsal view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Cabo Sardao, Odemira, Portugal, October 2022]

Near-dorsal view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Dorsal view of an Iberian Magpie (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Family clan of Iberian Magpies in a dormant tree (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2014]

Iberian Magpies in a dormant tree (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, January 2014]

Lateral view of an Iberian Magpie launching itself into the air (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Montargil, Alentejo, Portugal, November 2014]

Near-lateral/ventral view of an Iberian Magpie in flight (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2020]

Behaviour

Territorial dispute - Iberian Grey Shrike letting an Iberian Magpie know who is the boss (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Castro Verde, Alentejo, Portugal, February 2023]

Food, Diet

Iberian Magpies are omnivores that will eat anything from eggs and/or chicks of other bird species to carrion, invertebrates, insects, seeds and fruit.

Iberian Magpie taking a mulberry (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2019]

Iberian Magpie checking whether any of the mulberries are ready (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Mora, Evora, Portugal, May 2018]

Lateral view of an Iberian Magpie carrying away its next meal (photo courtesy of J. Pires)
[Vilarelhos, Alfandega da Fe, Tras-os-Montes, Norte, Portugal, January 2022]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

imagpie_jp_20200418.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
imagpie_jp_20200418_2.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
imagpie_jp_20200418_3.m4a	(Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
imagpie_jp_20220814.mp3	(Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP
imagpie_jp_20220814.mp3	(Portugal)	Contact calls	© JP

More Iberian Magpie sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.

Disclaimer: Comments are always welcome. We give no guarantee that the information presented on these pages is always correct or up-to-date. External links are marked as such and we take no responsibility for the contents of external pages. All images on this site are protected by copyright & used by permission of the respective owners. If you wish to reproduce them or any of the material presented on this web site, please contact us: We hereby acknowledge the original custodians of the land which is described on these pages, including the Gomeroi/Gamilaraay people of the North-west Slopes and Plains of NSW, and the traditional owners of other lands and nations within this country. We acknowledge elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.          Last updated: Thu, 20 April 2023, 8:13 +00:00