Wildlifeof Vietnam
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
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Small mammals, eggs and young of other birds, insects, wild fruits and berries
Habitat
Arboreal, feeding often on the ground with tail held high; large stick nests in forks of trees
Range
Western boundary of the range to Western Nepal in the form cucullata, breeding at 1,500–3,000m
Clutch size
3–4 eggs
Size
66cm including a 46cm tail
The yellow-billed blue magpie, or gold-billed magpie, is 66cm long including a tail of about 46cm. The head, neck and breast are black with a white nape patch, the rest of the underparts white faintly tinged with lilac, and the upperparts purplish-blue, brighter on the wings and tail. The long graduated tail is tipped with white (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is primarily tree-living but often feeds on the ground with a hopping gait, holding its tail high so that it does not touch the ground. Its diet includes small mammals, the eggs and young of other birds, insects, wild fruit and berries. The large stick nests are built in forks of trees in heavy foliage, with three or four eggs. The commoner form breeds at 1,500 to 3,000m. The account opened does not name Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What does the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie eat?
- Small mammals, eggs and young of other birds, insects, wild fruits and berries
- What habitat does the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie live in?
- Arboreal, feeding often on the ground with tail held high; large stick nests in forks of trees
- Where is the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie found?
- Western boundary of the range to Western Nepal in the form cucullata, breeding at 1,500–3,000m
- How many eggs does the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie lay?
- 3–4 eggs
- How big is the Yellow-billed Blue Magpie?
- 66cm including a 46cm tail