Yellow-billed magpie

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Yellow-billed magpie
Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–present
↓
Turlock, California

Vulnerable  (NatureServe)[2]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Corvidae
Genus: Pica
Species:
P. nuttalli
Binomial name
Pica nuttalli
(Audubon, 1837)
Synonyms[1]
  • Pica nuttalli (Audubon, 1837) [orth. error]

The yellow-billed magpie (Pica nuttalli), also known as the California magpie, is a large corvid that inhabits California's Central Valley and the adjacent chaparral foothills and mountains. Apart from its having a yellow bill and a yellow streak around the eye, it is virtually identical to the black-billed magpie (Pica hudsonia) found in much of the rest of North America. The scientific name commemorates the English naturalist Thomas Nuttall.

Taxonomy

European magpies
(P. pica).

The Korean subspecies of the European magpie (P. p. sericea) is more distantly related to all other (including North American) forms judging from the molecular evidence, and thus, either the North American forms are maintained as specifically distinct and the Korean (and possibly related) subspecies are also elevated to species status, or all magpies are considered to be subspecies of a single species, Pica pica.

Combining

Sierra Nevada, but that during interglacials there occurred some gene flow between the yellow- and black-billed magpies until reproductive isolation was fully achieved in the Pleistocene
.

The yellow-billed magpie is adapted to the hot summers of California's Central Valley and experiences less

heat stress than the black-billed magpie.[5]

Behaviour

The yellow-billed magpie is

gregarious and roosts communally.[6] There may be a cluster of communal roosts in one general area made up of a central roost containing many birds and several outlying roosts with fewer.[6]

Yellow-billed magpie flocks are known to engage in funeral-like behavior for their dead. When a magpie dies, a gathering of them congregates around the deceased bird where they call out loudly for 10–15 minutes.[7]

Breeding

The yellow-billed magpie prefers groves of tall trees along rivers and near open areas, though in some cities they have begun to nest in vacant lots and other weedy places. A pair of birds builds a dome-shaped nest with sticks and mud on a high branch.

territorial behavior.[5] These birds are permanent residents and do not usually wander far outside of their breeding range.[5]

nestlings a diet of mostly insects until fledging occurs in 30 days.[5]

Food and feeding

With black-tailed deer in California

These

landfills and dumping sites, and sometimes hunt rodents.[5]

Diseases

This bird is extremely susceptible to West Nile virus. Between 2004 and 2006 it is estimated that 50% of all yellow-billed magpies died of the virus.[11] Because the bird tends to roost near water bodies such as rivers, it is often exposed to mosquitoes.[6]

Avian poxvirus is another contagious viral infection that Yellow-billed magpies face hat have raised concerns for their population. It has been documented in some individuals, leading to the development of skin lesions, nodules, and sometimes death. While the prevalence of avian poxvirus in Yellow-billed magpies varies, it is considered a potential concern for the species.

The birds are also at risk of lead poisoning, primarily due to the ingestion of spent lead ammunition fragments found in carrion or discarded game animals. Lead poisoning has been a significant issue for scavenging birds, and efforts to reduce the use of lead ammunition in hunting areas adjacent to Yellow-billed magpie habitats are being undertaken to mitigate this threat.

Conservation

The

Nature Conservancy places it in the vulnerable category.[2] Besides West Nile Virus, threats include loss of habitat and rodent poison.[5] The bird has a limited area of distribution but is widespread throughout the area and still common in many places.[5]

Habitat Loss is the ongoing urbanization and agricultural development in California's Central Valley have led to the destruction and fragmentation of the Yellow-billed magpie's preferred nesting and foraging habitats. As groves of tall trees are cleared for development, the available breeding sites for these birds are diminishing.

Rodent Poison also is the use of rodenticides and pesticides in agricultural and urban areas poses a direct threat to the Yellow-billed magpie population. These chemicals can contaminate the bird's food sources and have detrimental effects on their health.

Climate Change and its associated impacts, such as increased temperatures and altered precipitation patterns, may affect the availability of the bird's food sources and nesting sites. Prolonged droughts and extreme weather events can further stress their populations.

Conservation Efforts where several organizations, including The Nature Conservancy and local conservation groups, are actively engaged in efforts to protect and preserve the Yellow-billed magpie. These efforts include habitat restoration, monitoring of populations, and education campaigns to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding this species.

References

  1. ^ a b c BirdLife International. 2018. Pica nuttalli. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T22705874A94039098. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-3.RLTS.T22705874A94039098.en. Accessed 15 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "NatureServe Explorer 2.0". explorer.natureserve.org. Retrieved 29 October 2022.
  3. PMID 13678680
    .
  4. JSTOR 1364980
    .
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Yellow-billed Magpie Species Account. Yolo Conservation Plan.
  6. ^ a b c Protocol for censusing Yellow-billed Magpies at communal roosts. PRBO Conservation.
  7. ^ "Black-billed Magpie Life History, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology". www.allaboutbirds.org. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  8. ^ a b Protocol for monitoring Yellow-billed Magpie nests. PRBO Conservation.
  9. JSTOR 4535022
    .
  10. ^ "Yellow-billed Magpie". Audubon. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  11. ^ Veterinary Geneticists Already on the Side of Audubon's Bird of the Year. UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. December 10, 2009

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yellow-billed magpie.
Wikispecies has information related to Pica nuttalli.
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