The Javan green magpie (''Cissa thalassina'') is a

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by t ...

bird in the crow family,

Corvidae Corvidae is a cosmopolitan family of oscine passerine birds that contains the crows, ravens, rooks, jackdaws, jays, magpies, treepies, choughs, and nutcrackers. In colloquial English, they are known as the crow family or corvids. Currently, 13 ...

. This critically endangered species is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to montane forests on the

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

n island of

Java Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's List ...

.Van Balen S et al., 2011. Biology, taxonomy and conservation status of the Short-tailed Green Magpie Cissa thalassina from Java. Bird Conservation International FirstView Article, pp 1-19. It formerly included the

Bornean green magpie The Bornean green magpie (''Cissa jefferyi'') is a passerine bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is endemic to montane forests on the southeast Asian island of Borneo.Van Balen S et al., 2011. Biology, taxonomy and conservation status of the Sh ...

as a subspecies, in which case the "combined" species was known as the short-tailed magpie. The bright green plumage is the result of the yellow pigment

lutein Lutein (;"Lutein"

moult In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

. In captivity, adults turn bluish if their diet is inadequate. Kraska krátkoocasá Zoo Praha 2

Once common, the species has declined drastically as a result of

habitat loss 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 ...

and illegal capture for the wild animal trade. The size of the remaining wild population is unknown, but perhaps only around 50 individuals, while others speculate that the lack of recent sightings might mean that it already is

extinct in the wild A species that is extinct in the wild (EW) is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as known only by living members kept in captivity or as a naturalized population outside its historic range due ...

. In an attempt at saving the species, a captive breeding program based on confiscated individuals has been initiated by the Cikananga Wildlife Center in Java (since 2011) and a few European

EAZA The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), is an organisation for the European zoo and aquarium community that links over 340 member organisations in 41 countries. EAZA membership is open to all zoos and aquaria across Europe that compl ...

zoos (since 2015). It has successfully bred at both the Javan and European facilities, and as of 2018 this captive population had reached about 50 individuals.

References

Javan green magpie The Javan green magpie (''Cissa thalassina'') is a passerine bird in the crow family, Corvidae. This critically endangered species is endemic to montane forests on the Indonesian island of Java.Van Balen S et al., 2011. Biology, taxonomy and con ...

Birds of Java Critically endangered fauna of Asia

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