Bird Watching or Twitching in Andalucia Southern Spain

Azure Winged Magpie - Cyanopica cyana

The editorial comments a couple of months ago about the rare and shy azure winged magpie produced, mainly sceptical, feedback so this month we will have Cyanopica cyana as our Bird of the Month. The pictures were taken at Acebuche in the Doñana.

Restricted to the south and central parts of Spain, the azure winged magpie favours cork oak forest, olive groves and pine forests. Like all the crows, of which this is the most elegant, it is gregarious and in the nesting season all members of the flock help the nesting birds. It is fairly distinctive with its black cap and azure blue wings and tail.