The BLUE MAGPIE (_Cyanopica Cookii_) is frequently met with in the
southern and central parts of Spain, and a very similar species
(_Cyanopica cyanea_) inhabits the Crimea, a large portion of Siberia as
far as the Amur river, and the whole of China. These birds have been
separated from other members of the family on account of the great
difference of the tints of their plumage, which is so extremely beautiful
that the European species is pre-eminent among its feathered relatives;
in both the species under consideration the back is pale brownish grey,
the throat and cheeks greyish white, and the wings, quills, and tail
light blueish grey; the eyes are reddish brown, and the beak and feet
black. The plumage of the young birds is paler, the black upon the head
and the blue of the wings being almost imperceptible; the grey of the
body is very dingy, and the wings are marked with two indistinct grey
lines. The length of both species is thirteen and a half to fourteen
inches, their breadth sixteen inches to sixteen and a half; the wing
measures five and a quarter, and the tail eleven inches; the female is
not quite so large as her mate.
All such districts of Southern and Central Spain as are covered with
woods of oak-trees are frequented by the Blue Magpie in great numbers,
but it is rarely seen in the eastern provinces, over which the oak is
but sparsely scattered. These birds are also met with in North-western
Africa, living everywhere in large flocks; they sometimes settle upon
the houses, and have no hesitation in constantly seeking their food
amongst the refuse of the busiest streets. In most of their habits they
closely resemble the Common Magpie, and when exposed to danger exhibit
so much cunning in evading pursuit as to render their capture a very
difficult and wearisome operation. The _voice_ of the Blue Magpie is,
however, quite unlike that of the member of its family with which we are
all so familiar; its note is very prolonged, and when several pairs are
chattering gaily to each other their tones rather resemble the lusty
sounds produced by the Green Woodpecker than those of their congeners. In
Spain this species does not commence its building operations until May,
but in other countries is somewhat earlier in the preparations for its
young; the nest, which resembles that of a Shrike, has an outer frame of
dry branches, lined with blades of grass, shoots of plants, and similar
materials, which are selected with great care. Many nests are built
upon the same tree, a whole party taking up their residence at a short
distance from each other, preferring under these circumstances their
favourite elms or other lofty trees as affording the safest lodging for
the young. The brood consists of from five to nine eggs: these are of a
greenish yellow, mottled with indistinct patches of a deeper shade, and
spotted or streaked with olive brown markings, which occasionally form a
kind of wreath at the broad end.
* * * * *
The BLUE RAVENS (_Cyanocorax_), as they have been called, are a species
of Jays which appear to form a connecting link between the Magpies and
the Jackdaws. These birds inhabit South America, and are remarkable for
the magnificence of their plumage; their powerful beaks are usually as
long as the entire head, somewhat compressed towards the tip, slightly
arched at the roof, and covered with bristles at the base; the wings, in
which the fifth and sixth quills are longer than the rest, extend to the
root of the long tail.