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Maghreb Magpie Pica mauritanica Scientific name definitions

Josep del Hoyo, Nigel Collar, and David Christie
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated April 8, 2018

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Field Identification

c. 48 cm; one female 180 g. Adult has relatively large blue patch of bare skin behind eye ; rest of head down to breast and entire upperparts black with hint of purple and green sheen; scapulars white, upperwing mostly black, secondaries and tertials with steely-blue gloss (becoming more bronzy with wear), primaries white with well-demarcated broad black edges; very long tail black with metallic green or purplish gloss, this becoming more bronze-purple with wear; central underparts white, lower belly to rear flanks, tibia feathering and undertail-coverts black; iris dark brown; bill and legs black. Sexes similar. Juvenile is similar to adult but duller, with black parts of plumage more sooty and unglossed, white areas less pure.

Systematics History

Hitherto treated as conspecific with P. pica, but differs in its broad blue flange behind eye (3); narrower white belly (1); much shorter wing (effect size vs P. p. melanotos −6.07; score 3); but longer tail (effect size vs P. p. melanotos 1.66; score 1); may also have more varied vocabulary (1). Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

N Africa (Morocco, N Algeria and Tunisia).

Habitat

Generally found in open country with scattered trees or small wooded areas, including arable land, pastures and woodland clearings, from sea-level to 2300 m. In places with human habitations occurs also in gardens and parks.

Movement

Sedentary.

Diet and Foraging

Omnivorous. Diet consists predominantly of invertebrates such as beetles (Coleoptera), along with lizards, small mammals, frogs, and the eggs and nestlings of other birds, as well as carrion. Feeds also on fruits and seeds when these are available, and will readily consume discarded food scraps. Forages on ground , rarely at higher levels. Generally alone or in pairs or family parties, occasionally in small groups; often wary.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Commonest call a rapid chatter, similar to that of P. pica but higher-pitched and uttered with more undulating rhythm; said also to have a more varied vocabulary than P. pica, but seemingly these remarks apply to S Moroccan birds (those in N Morocco appear to be vocally closer to P. pica).

Breeding

Season not well documented, probably early, with nestbuilding from Dec/Jan. Nest a large domed structure built by both sexes, constructed of thorny sticks and twigs, entrance at side, lined with softer fibres and animal hair (sometimes also some mud), and placed well above ground in tree or tall shrub. Clutch usually 4–6 eggs, pale greenish blue or sometimes olive-brown, variably unmarked or speckled and blotched with grey to olive-brown, 30–38·1 mm × 22–25·2 mm. Other details probably similar to those for P. pica.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Fairly widespread but rather uncommon and local; very few in Tunisia and declining in parts of Morocco. This species is not particularly well known, and there are no data on its population size and trends. It is patchily distributed, with nests on average 264 m apart within “patches”. It appears not to be in decline and it is not at risk from habitat destruction.

Distribution of the Maghreb Magpie - Range Map
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  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Maghreb Magpie

Recommended Citation

del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and D. A. Christie (2020). Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.eurmag3.01
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