Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) [XC27585]
by Andrew Spencer from Happy Canyon Road, Santa Barbara Co., California, United States (call)
Yellow-billed Magpie (Pica nuttalli) [XC592794]
by Paul Marvin from San Luis Reservoir SRA--Basalt Campground, Merced County, California, United States (call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Forms a superspecies with Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica), Asir Magpie (Pica asirensis) and Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia). Sometimes treated as conspecific with Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica) and/or Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia). Recent analysis of mitochondrial genome suggests that Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia) is a sister-taxon, closely related to Eurasian Magpie (Pica pica), the three exhibiting low average divergence (only 2.35%), suggesting that they may be better considered conspecific. Emended spelling of species name has prevailing usage.