Jay-magpie (SciiFii)

Not to be confused with magpie-jays, which belong to the genus Calocitta. The jay-magpie (Cyanopica cyanocristatus) species of bird in the crow family that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, and open woodlands across North America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the jay-magpie is the similarly-looking azure-winged magpie (Cyanopica cyanus) of eastern Asia. Like the azure-winged magpie, the jay-magpie is 31–35 cm long and similar in overall shape to the Eurasian magpie (Pica pica) but is more slender with proportionately smaller legs and bill. It has a glossy black top to the head and a white throat. The underparts and the back are a light grey-fawn in colour with the wings and the feathers of the long (16–20 cm) tail an azure blue. The voice is a quick fired and metallic sounding kwink-kwink-kwink usually preceded by a single krarrah. Oftentimes, jay-magpies find food as a family group or several groups making flocks of up to 70 birds. The largest groups congregate after the breeding season and throughout the winter months. Their diet consists mainly of acorns (oak seeds, etc), pine nuts, invertebrates and their larvae, soft fruits and berries, and also human-provided scraps in parks and towns. This species usually nests in loose, open colonies with a single nest in each tree. There are usually 6–8 eggs that are incubated for 15 days. Jay-magpies that have asynchronous broods, creating a size hierarchy among nestlings, produce more eggs and fledge more nestlings than those which have synchronous broods. The conservation status of the jay-magpie is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the jay-magpie's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.