The Asir magpie (''Pica asirensis''), also known as the Arabian magpie, is a highly endangered species of

magpie Magpies are birds of the Corvidae family. Like other members of their family, they are widely considered to be intelligent creatures. The Eurasian magpie, for instance, is thought to rank among the world's most intelligent creatures, and is one ...

endemic to

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

. It is only found in the country's southwestern highlands, in the

Asir Region The ʿAsir Region ( ar, عَسِيرٌ, ʿAsīr, lit=difficult) is a region of Saudi Arabia located in the southwest of the country that is named after the ʿAsīr tribe. It has an area of and an estimated population of 2,211,875 (2017). It is ...

. It occurs only in African juniper forest in well-vegetated

wadi Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water onl ...

s and valleys. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the

Eurasian magpie The Eurasian magpie or common magpie (''Pica pica'') is a resident breeding bird throughout the northern part of the Eurasian continent. It is one of several birds in the crow family (corvids) designated magpies, and belongs to the Holarctic ra ...

(''Pica pica''), and still is by many authorities. This species is highly threatened by

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, as its native forests are not regenerating. Tourism development and

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

are also posing a threat. Only 135 pairs (270 mature individuals) are known to survive in the wild, and this number is declining. A

molecular phylogenetic Molecular phylogenetics () is the branch of phylogeny that analyzes genetic, hereditary molecular differences, predominantly in DNA sequences, to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships. From these analyses, it is possible to ...

study published in 2018 found that the Asir magpie was a

sister taxon In phylogenetics, a sister group or sister taxon, also called an adelphotaxon, comprises the closest relative(s) of another given unit in an evolutionary tree. Definition The expression is most easily illustrated by a cladogram: Taxon A and t ...

to the

black-rumped magpie The black-rumped magpie (''Pica bottanensis'') is a species of magpie found in central Bhutan to west-central China. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian magpie (''Pica pica''). A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2 ...

that is found on the

Tibetan Plateau The Tibetan Plateau (, also known as the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau or the Qing–Zang Plateau () or as the Himalayan Plateau in India, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South and East Asia covering most of the Ti ...

Description

The Asir magpie (''Pica asirensis'') is about 45-60 cm long, and its approximate weight is 240 g. Its head, neck, back, front chest, and feet are all black. Its shoulders and belly are milk white. Its tail is black with bronze-green metallic luster. Compared to

, the Asir magpie has longer bill, darker plumage, and darker iris. Its vocalization is distinct, and it also gives harsh high-pitched calls. There is no large difference between males and females, but young Asir magpies are duller than adults.

Behavior

During breeding seasons, the Asir magpies often group in pairs and live in flocks. Each of the flock approximately contains 8 birds. However, the Asir magpies travel in small groups of 3-5 birds for daily activities. In order to protect themselves from predators such as hawks and owls, they build their nests in forests and valleys with plentiful vegetation covered. Compared to flying, the Asir magpies prefer walking and hopping sideways. Since their size is small and their wings are short, they fly with fast wing beats, and they rarely glide.

Habitat

Asir magpie primarily lives above 2150 m in thick shady

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' () of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere, from the Arcti ...

forests or dense mixed forests. It usually lives on south-facing slopes and avoids living on slopes larger than 30 degrees or near a human site. Sometimes, the Asir magpie is also observed foraging on roadsides or living at 1800 m and higher.

Diet

The Asir magpie is omnivorous. Its diet varies according to the changes in seasons and environments. When it is summer, the Asir magpie mainly feeds on animal-based food such as invertebrates, lizards, and frogs. During the other three seasons, it relies on the seeds and products of plants. The Asir magpie’s food source is not limited, and it just eats the food which is available and abundant in the living environment. It even steals and eats the eggs of other birds, which gives the species the name “nest predators”.

Status

As a highly endangered species, there are only 270 Asir Magpie estimated to exist, and the extent of occurrence (breeding/resident) has shrunk to 42,700 km². When

Bates Bates may refer to: Places * Bates, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Bates, Illinois. an unincorporated community in Sangamon County * Bates, Michigan, a community in Grand Traverse County * Bates, New York, a hamlet in the town of Elli ...

(1936) first recorded the Asir magpie, the bird’s living range extended from Tayif in the north to at least Abha in the south - a distance of 400 km. Today, the great majority of the population appears to be confined to pockets of mixed

and

acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...

forests within a 37 km strip of highlands, primarily between An-Namas and Billasmar.Babbington, J. (2016). Update on the status and occurrence of Arabian magpie Pica pica asirensis in Saudi Arabia. Sandgrouse , 38 , 146–151. A high degree of

habitat fragmentation Habitat fragmentation describes the emergence of discontinuities (fragmentation) in an organism's preferred environment (habitat), causing population fragmentation and ecosystem decay. Causes of habitat fragmentation include geological processes ...

from tourism development and urban expansion poses a great threat to its existence by restraining the exchange of genetic materials between groups from different habitats. Moreover, the Asir magpies suffer from

malnutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

as a result of feeding on human food wastes, which potentially leads to extinction of the species.

References