Taiwan Blue-Magpie
Urocissa caerulea
Large, long-tailed bird with rich blue plumage, black head, coral-red bill and feet, and yellow eye. Inhabits lower foothills to lower montane forests and edges (to 1200 m), occasionally venturing into forested parks. Forages in small flocks gliding from tree to tree. Long tail especially apparent in flight. Noisy; gives loud, sharp “kack” calls (much like Eurasian Magpie) and rasping notes.
识别特征
It is 63–68 cm (25–27 in) in length. The tail measures around 34–42 cm (13–17 in) in length, and the wings are 20 cm (7.9 in) long. It weighs 254–260 g (9.0–9.2 oz).<p>The plumages of the male and female are similar. The head, neck and breast are black. The eyes are yellow, and the bill and feet are red. The rest of the plumage is mostly blue. The wings and tail feathers have white tips. The underwing-coverts are dark grey, and the flight feathers are light grey. The uppertail-coverts have black tips. The central pair of tail feathers are the longest. The other tail feathers have black bands. Chicks are greyish, with a short tail and greyish-blue eyes.
分类信息
The Taiwan blue magpie was collected by Robert Swinhoe and described by John Gould. Swinhoe translated the magpie's Hokkien name into English, calling it the "Long-tailed Mountain-Nymph". The species is sometimes placed in the genus Cissa. It forms a superspecies with the yellow-billed blue magpie (Urocissa flavirostris) and the red-billed blue magpie (Urocissa erythroryncha). The species is monotypic.
- 学名
- Urocissa caerulea
- 命名信息
- Gould, 1863
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Corvidae
- 属
- Urocissa
分布与栖息地
The Taiwan blue magpie is endemic to Taiwan. It lives in broadleaf forests at elevations of 300–1,200 m (980–3,940 ft).
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Taiwan blue magpies are not very afraid of people. They can be found near human residences in the mountains or newly cultivated lands. They are gregarious and are usually found in groups of three to twelve. The birds often fly in a line, following each other. This is sometimes called "long-tailed formation".<p>Similar to other members of the crow family, they have a raucous call which is described as a high-pitched cackling chatter, kyak-kyak-kyak-kyak. Other calls include ga-kang, ga-kang, kwee-eep and gar-suee.<p>Taiwan blue magpies are scavengers and omnivores. Their diet includes snakes, rodents, small insects, carrion, eggs and chicks of other birds, plants, fruits, and seeds. They also feed on food waste of humans. They sometimes store leftovers on the ground and cover them with leaves for future retrieval. Sometimes they store food in the leaves or branches.<p>The breeding season is from March to July. The Taiwan blue magpie is monogamous. Females incubate eggs while males help with nest building and feeding. Their nests are built on high branches of trees. The nest is in the shape of a bowl and is made of twigs. Usually there are 3–8 eggs in a clutch. Eggs are light green in color, with brown marks. Hatching takes 17–19 days. There are 3–7 chicks per nest. Chicks leave the nest after 21–24 days, and can start flying for short distances after a few days. Some pairs breed a second time after this. The Taiwan blue magpie has helpers at the nest, mostly juveniles from previous breeding seasons. They help to feed the chicks and defend the nest. Taiwan blue magpies have a strong nest defence behaviour, and will attack intruders until they leave.<p>Taiwan blue magpies may be hit by cars or captured by humans. They are also killed by predators, such as the crested goshawk, white-bellied sea eagle, spot-bellied eagle owl and the Gurney's eagle.
保护状况
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Hispaniolan Euphonia
Chlorophonia musica
Endemic to Hispaniola. A brilliantly colored, tiny, and active species of dense woodlands where it feeds at middle to upper levels, primarily on mistletoe berries. Sometimes joins mixed flocks. Easy to miss despite bright colors and flitting movements. Note small size, short tail, and small (though rather thick) bill. Male has a blue helmet, bright orange underparts, a dark face and throat, and dark iridescent purple upperparts. Female is olive-green overall; note distinctive blue helmet and small orange forehead patch. Calls include a lively “beep” given singly or in series, a rapid “whip-ip,” a rough “djip,” and a plaintive “wheee.” Song is a rapid jumble of tinkling, squeaky, and whistled notes.
Abyssinian Sunbird
Cinnyris habessinicus
A medium-sized, long-billed sunbird in which males and females are very different. Males have a green head, purple forehead, red-and-yellow band across the chest, and a black belly. Females are plain, with olive-gray on the back and pale gray below. Found in dry thorn savanna, woodland, and gardens. Male could be confused with Black-bellied, Gorgeous, or Beautiful Sunbirds, but is chunkier and larger, and lacks the elongated central tail feathers of those species. Females can be identified with caution by their combination of plain, unstreaked underparts, long bill, and conspicuous pale eyebrow. Common vocalizations include a “vit” call, warbling series, and dry trills.
Thyolo Alethe
Chamaetylas choloensis
A robust, chocolate-backed forest skulker with clean-cut pale underparts washed gray, and a distinctive white throat and outer tail tips. Singles and pairs are shy and inconspicuous residents in the dense under-story of mid-altitude forest, between 700–1900m. May follow army-ant swarms, where it loses its fear of humans. Calls a loud downslurred quavering “tiiyuuu” and harsh chitter in alarm. Similar White-chested Alethe differs from Cholo by having gray (not brown) face and rufous tail lacking white.
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