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Photo: Port Jackson Painter / Public domain (Wikimedia Commons)

Near Threatened

White-winged Magpie

Urocissa whiteheadi

White-winged Magpie (Urocissa whiteheadi) — Crows, Jays & Magpies of South & Southeast Asia.

The White-winged Magpie (Urocissa whiteheadi) is a member of the Corvidae family found in South & Southeast Asia. Adults weigh 200 g. The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened.

NT Near Threatened

Close to qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.

Where it fits

  1. Class Aves
  2. Order Passeriformes
  3. Family Corvidae Crows, Jays
  4. Genus Urocissa
  5. Species whiteheadi

Where it lives

Southeastern Asia

Quick facts

Weight
200 g
Diet
Omnivores
Family
Corvidae
Habitat
Woodland

How to identify

Similar birds

Biology & behaviour

Diet

The White-winged Magpie is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.

Behaviour

A bird of dense forest, it spends much of its time perched in trees and shrubs.

Migration

The White-winged Magpie is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

The White-winged Magpie (Urocissa whiteheadi) belongs to the Corvidae family of the order Passeriformes. Its range spans South & Southeast Asia. Its distribution covers OR se Asia.

It is a large bird. Adults weighs around 200 g, with a wing length of about 21.4 cm and a tail of around 21.5 cm.

The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened. That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.

The species has a mapped global range of roughly 34,000 km² — a relatively restricted global range.

Songs & calls

White-winged Magpie — Call

Recorded by Bo Shunqi 薄顺奇 Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Frequently asked questions

How big is the White-winged Magpie?

The White-winged Magpie is a large bird that weighs around 200 g.

Where does the White-winged Magpie live?

The White-winged Magpie is found across South & Southeast Asia with a range covering OR se Asia, where it favours woodland, forest and well-treed country.

What family does the White-winged Magpie belong to?

The White-winged Magpie (Urocissa whiteheadi) belongs to the Corvidae family, in the order Passeriformes.

What does the White-winged Magpie eat?

The White-winged Magpie is a omnivore — it takes a broad, omnivorous diet of both plant and animal foods.

Does the White-winged Magpie migrate?

The White-winged Magpie is largely sedentary, staying within its range year-round rather than making regular long-distance migrations.

Is the White-winged Magpie endangered?

The IUCN Red List lists it as Near Threatened That means it is close to qualifying as threatened and is worth keeping a careful eye on.

What sound does the White-winged Magpie make?

1 real field recording of the White-winged Magpie — including its call — can be played in the Songs & calls section on this page, credited to the recordist who captured it.

How large is the White-winged Magpie's range?

The White-winged Magpie has a mapped global range of about 34,000 km².

Conservation

Near Threatened

Every bird benefits from bird-safe windows, native plants, and keeping cats indoors. Small changes at home add up to real protection.

How to help birds

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Guides for this bird

Best Feeders for Jays & Larger Garden Birds

How to choose a feeder for jays and other big, bold garden birds — the styles that suit peanuts and larger food, and how to keep them from crowding your small-bird feeders. A decision framework with the species in the Birbs encyclopedia.

3 min read

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