Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica cooki) [XC148910]
by Esperanza Poveda from Medina, Avila Province, Spain (call)
Iberian Magpie (Cyanopica) [XC282130]
by Jos\u00e9 Carlos Sires from cerca del real de la jara, sevilla, andaluc\u00eda, Spain (call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Cyanopica cyana (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) was split into Asian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) and Iberian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cooki) by Fok et al. (2002) but this is not recognised by BirdLife International.
Recent DNA-sequencing indicates that this genus and Perisoreus form unique clades, separate from other corvids. Usually treated as conspecific with Asian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus). Because of peculiar global distribution of genus, with population in south-western Europe (Iberia) separated by 9000 km from only other one (in eastern Asia), it was long speculated that Iberian population could have arisen from birds brought back eastern by Portuguese merchants and sailors in 16th/17th centuries. Fossilized remains of this species found recently in caves on Gibraltar, however, indicate that distribution natural, which suggests that the populations had been separated during last glaciation. Further, two independent DNA studies of genus indicated that the two forms diverged at least one million years ago, and should therefore be treated as two species. Clarification of vocal differences from Asian Azure-winged Magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) required. Birds of northern part of interior Spain tend to be slightly larger and greyer than those of coastal areas, and could perhaps represent a geographical subspecies (for which the name gili is available). Overall variation is, however poorly defined.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet