Indochinese green magpie
The Indochinese green magpie (Cissa hypoleuca) or yellow-breasted magpie, is a passerine bird of the crow family, Corvidae. It is native to mainland southeast Asia (Indochina) and adjacent China.
| Indochinese green magpie | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Corvidae |
| Genus: | Cissa |
| Species: | C. hypoleuca |
| Binomial name | |
| Cissa hypoleuca | |
This species' yellow undersides make it distinct from the other species in its genus.
They have russet coloured wings, with green shoulders, back, head and tail. They also have a thick black band marking from the bill, all the way round the head. The beak, legs and eye rings of this species are a vivid red, while their eyes are a very dark brown.
As with all magpies in the Cissa genus, their green plumage comes from the pigment lutein, which will fade to blue if the bird has an insufficient diet, and supposedly if exposed to bright or direct sunlight for too long (due to the fragility of the pigment)[2]
References
- BirdLife International (2012). "Cissa hypoleuca". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2012. Retrieved 26 November 2013.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "When Javan Green Magpies feel blue – Silent Forest". www.silentforest.eu. Retrieved 2020-11-28.