Asian Azure-winged Magpie © pinterest.com

Introduced to Hong Kong (China) (B).

Recent DNA-sequencing indicates that this genus and Perisoreus form unique clades, separate from other corvids. Usually treated as conspecific with Iberian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cooki), but fossilized remains of latter (previously thought introduced) indicate that its distribution is natural. Also, DNA studies of genus indicated that the two forms diverged at least one million years ago, and should be treated as separate species. Geographical variation partly clinal, intergrading of mainland subspecies making assessment tricky; validity of koreensis, stegmanni, swinhoei and kansuensis perhaps questionable.

Other proposed subspecies are tristis (described from near Chita, in Transbaikalia) and pallescens (from Radde, on R Amur, in extreme south-eastern Russia), both synonymized with nominate, and jeholica (central Jehol, in north-eastern China), treated as synonym of interposita.

The following 9 subspecies are recognised:

• cyanus (Pallas, 1776)   -  North-western and northern Mongolia (east from Uliastay) east across Transbaikalia and southern Yakutia to south-eastern Russia (Amurland and Ussuriland), south to north-eastern China (northern Heilongjiang).
• japonica Parrot, 1905   -  Central Japan (northern and central Honshu).
• stegmanni Meise, 1932   -  Southern Heilongjiang (north-eastern China).
• koreensis Yamashina, 1939   -  Korean Peninsula.
• kansuensis Meise, 1937   -  North-central China (north-eastern Qinghai, western Gansu and north-western Sichuan).
• interposita E. J. O. Hartert, 1917   -  Northern China from Ningxia and eastern Gansu and Shaanxi east to Hebei and Shandong.
• swinhoei E. J. O. Hartert, 1903   -  East-central and eastern China (northern and central Sichuan east to Zhejiang and Jiangxi).
• cooki Bonaparte, 1850   -  Spain (except north and east) and eastern and southern Portugal. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Iberian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cooki).
• pallescens Stegmann, 1931   -  Middle and lower Amur River region.

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