Wildlifeof China
Yellow-billed Blue Magpie
Crows, Drongos, Orioles & Shrikes
Photo: https://www.flickr.com/people/33126323@N04 Rakesh Dogra] from Dehradun, India · CC BY 2.0
Urocissa flavirostris
Basic stats
Habitat
Breeds at 1,500–3,000m in the Western Himalayas for one form; feeds on the ground with a hopping gait
Range
Northern Indian subcontinent including the lower Himalayan foothills, with a disjunct population in Vietnam
Size
66cm including a tail of about 46cm
The yellow-billed blue magpie, or gold-billed magpie, is a crow-family bird 66cm long including a tail of about 46cm. It forms a superspecies with the Taiwan blue magpie and the red-billed blue magpie. It frequently feeds on the ground and adopts a hopping gait with the tail held high to keep it off the ground. The eastern form, from eastern Nepal eastwards, has a darker lilac tinge below (Wikipedia, general species account).
The range covers the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, including the lower Himalayan foothills, with a disjunct population in Vietnam, and it is found throughout the Himalayas. The commoner western form is found from the western boundary of the range to western Nepal, breeding in a zone from 1,500 to 3,000m. The source does not describe its status in China (Wikipedia, general species account).
Quick answers
- What habitat does the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie live in?
- Breeds at 1,500–3,000m in the Western Himalayas for one form; feeds on the ground with a hopping gait
- Where is the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie found?
- Northern Indian subcontinent including the lower Himalayan foothills, with a disjunct population in Vietnam
- How big is the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie?
- 66cm including a tail of about 46cm