*“Like a magpie, I am a scavenger of shiny things: fairy tales, dead languages, weird folk beliefs, fascinating religions, and more.”-Laini Taylor*
It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail. This bird is over 2 feet in length, of which the fine tail accounts for three-fourths. The head, neck, and breast are black, and the remainder of the plumage is a beautiful blue with handsome white markings.
The local name for the blue-magpie is Neelkanth. The genus name " Urocissa" combines the Ancient Greek "oura" meaning -tail and "kissa" meaning -magpie. The specific epithet "Erythroryncha" combines the Ancient Greek "eruthros" meaning -red and "rhunkhos" meaning -bill.
Red-billed blue magpie
(Urocissa erythroryncha)
Sony A77ii
Tamron 150-600
500mm, 1/640s, f/6.3, ISO2500
December 2022
Chakki Morh, Solan, HP (India)
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