The gray magpie is not actually a gray magpie?

When it comes to the noisiest birds in Qinyuan, the gray magpie is definitely on the list. They like to gather in groups and are very alert. Whether on the trees along the Qinxia East and West Roads or in the botanical gardens, you can see them chirping and chatting happily on the branches or on the ground in groups of three or five. As long as people get close, they will fly away immediately.

Gray magpies look similar to magpies, but are slightly smaller than magpies. Unlike the mature and steady black and white suits of magpies, gray magpies tend to be more casual and sporty. They wear black masked hoods, gray-blue sports jackets, and beautiful, sky-blue long tail feathers. They are like naughty children who can't stay idle for a moment and leisurely shuttle through the four seasons of Qin Garden.

As a member of the Corvidae family, the gray magpie has the common characteristics of corvid birds: fierce and domineering. I remember one day at the end of April 2023, I was under a cherry tree in the rose garden. When I just reached out to touch a cherry fruit, a sudden "ka-ka" sound startled me. A gray magpie was staring at me intently, and sounded the alarm to me with a rough and loud voice, seemingly announcing that this tree of cherries was its food. Thinking of the scene of being pecked on the head by the red-billed blue magpie before, I quickly retracted my hand and retreated. The gray magpie saw me leaving, flapped its wings quickly and flew low to the grass under the tree, and jumped step by step towards its companions. After it joined the conversation with its companions, its loud voice continued to echo in the air, as if telling its companions about its feat just now.

In addition, the gray magpie often bullies other small birds with its cleverness, and also eats other birds' chicks and eggs. However, the gray magpie prefers to eat pine caterpillars. According to relevant statistics, a gray magpie can eat 15,000 pine caterpillars a year, and is known as the "forest ecological guardian". In addition to eating pests, the gray magpie also likes to eat the fruits and seeds of plants. The plant seeds ride on the gray magpie's mouth, leave the mother's arms, and scatter around the Qin Garden to reproduce.

If one day you are surprised to find a plant on a tall tree, among a sea of ​​flowers, or beside a maple leaf lake in Qin Garden, don’t be surprised, because maybe it is the masterpiece of a gray magpie!

Gray Magpie Profile:

Asian Azure-winged Magpie

Scientific Name: Cyanopica cyanus

Visibility: Very common

Found in: Live in groups in rose gardens and other specialized gardens

Protection level: three